Why Pitney Bowes Shares Popped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of mail and shipping specialist Pitney Bowes were looking stronger today, gaining as much as 15% after announcing earnings and saying it would sell its management service unit to Apollo Global Management for $400 million.

So what: The sale, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, is for the division that works with corporate and government clients to boost efficiency, and the company argued it would allow it to focus on its core mail and e-commerce offerings. As for the earnings report, profits from continuing operations reached $0.52 a share, topping expectations of $0.43, while revenue came in at $1.19 billion, in line with estimates. Considering the sale of the management unit, the company lowered its full-year guidance from continuing operations to $1.62-$1.77 from $1.85-$2.00 before.

Now what: I wouldn't expect any fireworks out of Pitney Bowes, as revenues were already projected to decline, but for investors looking for a solid dividend/value play, this looks like a good bet. The sale, which accounts for more than 10% of its market cap, will give it a further cushion to fund its near 5% dividend yield, and the company is still valued at a P/E below 10 after today's jump and guidance adjustment. It's hard to argue with numbers like that.

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The article Why Pitney Bowes Shares Popped originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Jeremy Bowman has no position in any stocks mentioned, and neither does The Motley Fool. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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