This break-up is still paying off

Article Excerpt

In September 2000, the original Dun & Bradstreet broke itself up into two public companies: Moody’s, and the new Dun & Bradstreet. Unlike a spin-off, where a company hands out shares of a subsidiary to its own stockholders, this break-up created two large firms with well-established brands and clientele. That cut the likelihood investors would sell their new shares. Since the split, Dun & Bradstreet is up 506.3%, while Moody’s has gained 421.4%. We still like both companies, but see only one as a buy right now. THE DUN & BRADSTREET CORP. $97 (New York symbol DNB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 59.4 million; Market cap: $5.8 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) provides credit reports and other information on 100 million companies in over 200 countries. Its clients use its products to make lending and buying decisions. Revenues increased slowly, from $1.3 billion in 2002 to $1.5 billion in 2006. But thanks to a successful restructuring plan, profits before unusual items rose at…