Spin Off

A spin off occurs when an existing publicly-traded company sells a part of its assets or distributes new shares in order to create a newly independent company. Often the new shares will be offered through a rights issue to existing shareholders before they are offered to new investors (if at all). Depending on the situation, a spin-off could be indicative of a company ready to take on a new challenge or one that is restructuring or refocusing the activities of the main business.