Updating our Income stocks: Pfizer Inc., Mccormick & Co. Inc. and T. Rowe Price Group Inc.

Article Excerpt

PFIZER INC., $39, (www.pfizer.com) is a buy. Investors in the company will now benefit from the spinoff of its Upjohn business—the firm’s off-patent and generic drug unit. Those operations will then merge with Netherlands-based Mylan N.V. (New York symbol MYL) to form Viatris. Pfizer will hand its investors 0.12 of a share in the new company for every PFE share they hold. As a group, Pfizer investors will own 57% of the new firm, with Mylan shareholders holding the remaining 43%.The deal should lower Pfizer’s costs and improve its profitability in the face of declining prices for generic drugs. It also leaves the company to focus on growing its core business, which should spur gains for investors. The merger should close in mid-2020. MCCORMICK & CO. INC. $169 (www.mccormick.com) is still a hold. The company, which makes spices, seasonings and flavours, is raising your quarterly dividend by 8.8%. With the January 2020 payment, investors will receive $0.62 a share instead of $0.57. The new annual rate of…