This spinoff comes with extra risk

Article Excerpt

ALKERMES PLC $28 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol ALKS; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 164.3 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.alkermes.com) is a developer of pharmaceutical drugs and is based in Ireland. Its main products include Aristada (schizophrenia), Lybakvi (antipsychotic) and Vivitrol (alcohol and opioid dependence). The company now plans to spin off its oncology (cancer) drug operations as a separate firm. This business is currently developing treatments for ovarian cancer and melanoma, which are in the clinical testing phase. Alkermes aims to complete the transaction by the end of 2023. The split will let Alkermes better focus on its neuroscience drugs. However, there’s no guarantee the spinoff firm will successfully bring its new products to market. Alkermes is a hold. hold…