Spinoff spotlight: VF Corp.

Article Excerpt

VF CORP. $17 is still a buy, but only for aggressive investors. The company (New York symbol VFC; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 388.8 million; Market cap: $6.6 billion; Dividend yield: 2.1%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.vfc.com) is one of the world’s largest apparel suppliers and a leader in the outdoor, sportswear, and workwear markets. Its main brands include Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies. On May 22, 2019, VF spun off its Lee and Wrangler jeans business as a separately traded company called Kontoor Brands (New York symbol KTB). Investors received one share in Kontoor for every seven VF shares they held. VF shares are down 80% since the spinoff, mainly because consumers are spending less on discretionary apparel as they cope with inflation and interest rates. The drop has prompted activist Engaged Capital, which owns 1.3% of the company, to demand VF sell non-core brands and cut costs. The activist feels these moves would lift the stock price to over $40. Engaged now has the…