They’re pruning back for new growth

Article Excerpt

Two of America’s oldest companies, AT&T and General Electric, are now using spinoffs to unlock value for investors. We’re confident these moves will pay off, but only AT&T is suitable for your new buying. AT&T INC. $24 is a spinoff buy. The company (New York symbol T; Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 7.1 billion; Market cap: $170.4 billion; Dividend yield: 8.6%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.att.com) is merging its media operations (Warner Bros. studios, HBO, CNN and other cable channels) with Discovery Inc. (Nasdaq symbol DISCA). That will let it focus on its main telecom business. The company will now hand out 100% of its shares in this new, publicly traded media firm (called Warner Bros. Discovery) to its own investors as a tax-free distribution. The new shares will trade on Nasdaq under the WBD symbol. AT&T investors will receive 0.24 shares of this new firm for each share they own. As a group, they will own 71% while Discovery investors will hold the remaining 29%. The company…