More pure-play picks for COVID recovery

Article Excerpt

It bears repeating: spinoffs let companies narrow their focus to their core businesses. That pleases investors, as they prefer “pure play” firms that are easier to value. A good example is cardboard maker WestRock, which spun off its Ingevity chemical business in 2016 to create two pure-play firms. WestRock shares are down 11% since the split, but its long-term outlook is promising. Ingevity, which has soared 225% since the split, is also a good way to profit as the global economy rebounds from COVID-19. WESTROCK CO. $33 is a buy for aggressive investors. The company (New York symbol WRK; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 254.7 million; Market cap: $8.4 billion; Dividend yield: 3.3%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.westrock.com) is a leading provider of packaging materials and systems. In May 2016, WestRock spun off its specialty chemicals business as Ingevity Corp (see right). Shareholders received one Ingevity share for every six WestRock shares they held. In December 2022, WestRock paid $1.41 billion for the remaining 67.7% of its…