General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) shares rallied $0.99, or 2.76%, to $36.84 today after Citigroup (NYSE:C) analysts recommended that the company spinoff NBC Universal, GE Money and the real estate division. The analysts suggested that GE's size and complexity is working against investors in the stock and has contributed to further value erosion. The move by Citigroup analysts follows similar suggestions from other analysts during the past few weeks. An analyst from Prudential Equity Group Inc. even suggested that Google (NDAQ:GOOG) may be interested in acquiring its NBC Universal division to compliment its YouTube media offerings.
Just how much could this move yield for investors? Well, some analysts like Jeffrey Sprague from Citigroup are pegging the breakup value at around $46 per share. Moreover, streamlining the company's operations would help give investors a greater understanding of the company and perhaps enable it to command a premium instead of trade at a discount. Clearly, these moves also have widespread support from the company's shareholder base who expressed concerns about the company's valuation at the last annual meeting. Whether or not the company heeds this advice remains to be seen, however, this is definitely a
stock to watch in the meantime!
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