U.S. election could trigger spinoff

Article Excerpt

EXELON CORP. $42 (New York symbol EXC; Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 974.5 million; Market cap: $40.9 billion; Dividend yield: 3.6%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.exeloncorp.com) is a hold. The company operates several regulated power and natural gas utilities, including Commonwealth Edison in Illinois and PECO Energy in Pennsylvania. Partly due to pressure from activist firm Corvex Management, Exelon is reportedly developing a plan to spin off its non-regulated operations. They mostly consist of nuclear power plants, and supply 40% of the company’s earnings. Investor interest in non-regulated nuclear plants is probably limited, as they rely on government subsidies to keep operating. However, if the Democrat party takes control of the U.S. Congress and the White House in the November election, it would probably introduce new carbon taxes on coal and gas-fired power plants. That could increase the appeal of nuclear plants, which emit zero greenhouse gases. Exelon is a hold. hold…