Second spinoff set to unlock value

Article Excerpt

Pfizer’s shares have gained 50% in the five years since it used an initial public offering to set up its animal-drug business as Zoetis. It then offered its remaining shares to investors. The new company now plans to sell or spin off its consumer business, which could push the stock even higher. Zoetis, which has seen its shares triple since the split, should continue to profit from rising levels of pet ownership. PFIZER INC. $42 (New York symbol PFE; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.9 billion; Market cap: $247.8 billion; Dividend yield: 3.2%; Takeover Target Rating: Low; www.pfizer.com) is a leading prescription drugmaker. Its top-selling brands include Lyrica (epilepsy), Celebrex and Enbrel (arthritis), and Prevnar (pneumonia). In June 2013, Pfizer set up its animal health business as a separate firm called Zoetis (see next page). Pfizer then invited its shareholders to swap PFE shares for Zoetis shares at a 7 percent discount. Pfizer was founded in 1849 by cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles F. Erhart…