Merged company a hold for now

Article Excerpt

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $59 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 159.4 million; Market cap: $9.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 2.2%; WSSF Rating: Average) is the new name of The Stanley Works after the company recently completed its all-stock purchase of rival toolmaker Black & Decker Corp. Stanley shareholders own 50.5% of the combined company. Black & Decker investors own the remaining 49.5%. Stanley feels that it can find $350 million in annual savings by the end of the third year following the merger. (In 2009, Stanley earned $215.5 million, or $2.68 a share.) Most of these savings will come from combining plants, distribution networks and purchasing systems. However, big mergers like this often come with hidden risks. Stanley Black & Decker is a hold. hold…