Activist shareholder Jana Partners LLC has bought a stake in Macy’s Inc. and has sent a letter to the retailer’s board urging a spinoff of its e-commerce business, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, didn’t disclose the size of Jana’s stake.
Jana believes a standalone e-commerce business would be worth a multiple of New York-based Macy’s (NYSE: M) current market value, which was about $7 billion based on Thursday’s share price,The Wall Street Journal said.
New York-based Jana has said Macy’s e-commerce business could be worth about $14 billion, according to CNBC. A source told the network that a potential spinoff of Macy’s online business has already drawn interest from investors.
Macy’s in August forecast e-commerce sales this year would reach $8.35 billion to $8.45 billion, after nearly doubling in the past four years. It said total revenue should reach $24 billion, rebounding from $18 billion last year, which fell from $25 billion in fiscal year 2019.
Macy’s Chief ExecutiveJeff Gennettesaid in February that he expected digital sales to reach $10 billion in three years, said The Wall Street Journal. Online sales made up 44% of net sales during the quarter ended January 2021.
The retailer’s stock at was trading at $23.10 a share just before closing Thursday afternoon, up nearly 3%. The stock has more than tripled in value this year.
A separation of Macy’s e-commerce business would follow in the steps of Saks Fifth Avenue. The department store's parent, Hudson Bay Co., spun off Saks' online business earlier this year, and venture capital firm Insight Partners invested $500 million for a minority stake in Saks.com. The deal valued Saks.com at about $2 billion, about double its annual sales.
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