Buy the spinoff, hold the former parent

Article Excerpt

On November 1, 2016, Arconic spun off its bulk aluminum business (Alcoa) so it could focus on making industrial aluminum products. Investors received one Alcoa share for every three Arconic shares they owned. Arconic continues to benefit as manufacturing activity recovers from COVID-19 shutdowns. The company’s cost cuts will also help boost its long-term profitability. However, Alcoa remains the better choice for your new buying. ARCONIC CORP. $35 is a hold. The company (New York symbol ARNC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Shares o/s: 110.0 million; Market cap: $3.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; No dividend paid; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.arconic.com) makes rolled aluminum products for the automotive (40% of sales in the latest quarter), industrial (22%), building construction (17%), packaging (13%), and aerospace (8%) industries. The stock has gained 94% in the past year as the economy re-opens. Arconic now expects its revenue for all of 2021 will range from $7.1 billion to $7.4 billion. That’s up from its earlier prediction of…