This split delivers you a 59% return

Article Excerpt

In general, spinoffs are the closest thing you can find to a sure thing. Study after study has shown that following an initial adjustment period of a few months, spinoffs tend to outperform groups of comparable stocks for several years. In many cases, we advise investors to not only hold onto their new shares but to add to their position. That’s partly because many spinoffs, and sometimes their former parents, become attractive takeover targets for bigger firms. A recent example is iconic foodmaker Kellogg Company: It split into two independent firms—WK Kellogg and Kellanova—on October 3, 2023. With that spinoff, investors received one WK Kellogg share for every four Kellogg shares they held. The former parent then changed its name to Kellanova. Kellanova has now accepted a takeover offer from Europe’s Mars Inc., which for Kellanova investors represents a 59% gain since the breakup. Meanwhile, the new WK Kellogg is up 19%. Its outlook remains bright as a plan to streamline operations is set…