These spinoffs are still worth holding

Article Excerpt

Both these spinoffs are off to a slow start as they restructure their operations. We feel their moves will ultimately pay off, but it’s better to hold off new buying right now. VIATRIS INC. $11 is a hold. The company (New York symbol VTRS; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $13.2 billion; Dividend yield: 4.4%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.viatris.com) makes a variety of branded and generic drugs, include Celebrex (pain relief), Viagra (erectile dysfunction) and Lipitor (cholesterol). It was formed in November 2020 by the merger of Pfizer’s Upjohn division (generic drugs) with Netherlands-based Mylan N.V. Pfizer investors received 0.124079 of a Viatris share for each Pfizer share. The company will now merge its biosimilars drug business with India’s Biocon Biologics Limited. Biosimilars are cheaper copies of complex biologic drugs. Viatris will receive $2.0 billion in cash plus $1.0 billion of Biocon convertible preferred shares. That will give it a 12.9% stake in Biocon. The company will also receive up to…