We prefer the pure-play former parent

Article Excerpt

AT&T recently spun off its media operations as it continues to shift its focus to its main telecom businesses. The plan should benefit both companies considering investors tend to prefer pure-play firms. We like both, but feel AT&T is the better choice right now. AT&T INC. $19 is a spinoff buy. The company (New York symbol T; Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 7.1 billion; Market cap: $134.9 billion; Dividend yield: 5.8%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.att.com) is the largest wireless carrier in the U.S. It also offers traditional phone services. On April 11, 2022, AT&T completed its plan to merge its Warner Bros. media operations with Discovery Inc. (Nasdaq symbol DISCA). Under the terms of the deal, and as a tax-free distribution, AT&T investors received 0.241917 shares of this new firm (called Warner Bros. Discovery, see below) for each T share they own. As a group, they now own 71% while Discovery investors hold the remaining 29%. As part of the merger, A&T also received $40.4 billion in cash…