Spinoff is a big plus

Article Excerpt

SYMANTEC CORP. $22.15 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-517- 8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 690.3 million; Market cap: $15.5 billion; Dividend yield: 2.7%) plans to break itself into two publicly traded companies. One will keep the Symantec name and focus on antivirus and security software and services. The other will consist of its information management (IM) operations, which include data backup and recovery software. Symantec aims to hand out shares in the IM business by the end of 2015. Spinning off the IM division will let Symantec focus on products with strong potential, like security software for mobile devices. Spinoffs are a great way for companies to unlock hidden value. In our experience, and according to most academic studies on the subject, the parent and the new firm generally do better than comparable companies for at least several years after the spinoff takes place. As well, both the security software and IM businesses could become attractive takeover targets as independent…