Spinoff Spotlight: International Business Machines Corp.

Article Excerpt

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $141 is your #1 Spinoff Buy for 2021. The company (New York symbol IBM, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 892.0 million; Market cap: $125.8 billion; Dividend yield: 4.7%; Takeover Target Rating: Lowest; www.ibm.com) plans to spin off its Managed Infrastructure Services unit as a separate company called Kyndryl. This business helps corporate and government clients manage their datacentres. The spinoff will let IBM focus on its cloud computing and artificial intelligence businesses. The company hasn’t yet announced the details, except that it will be a tax-free transaction for shareholders. IBM should complete the spinoff by the end of 2021. The company is using acquisitions to bolster its cloud and AI operations. In the first half of 2021, it spent $2.9 billion on purchases of smaller businesses. Those buys are largely why revenue in the quarter ended June 30, 2021, rose 3.4%, to $18.75 billion from $18.12 billion a year earlier. On a comparable basis and excluding exchange…