Howard Hughes Holdings spinning off Seaport Entertainment to shareholders

By Steve Gelsi

Seaport Entertainment is a newly-formed unit that owns the Seaport in NYC and air rights for a potential new casino on the Las Vegas strip

Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. on Thursday launched a new division of the company called Seaport Entertainment to hold assets in New York City and Las Vegas, with plans to spin off the unit to shareholders by the end of 2024.

Howard Hughes Holdings (HHH) named former MGM Resorts International (MGM) executive Anton D. Nikodemus as chief executive of Seaport Entertainment, which owns the Seaport in lower Manhattan and the Las Vegas Aviators Triple-A minor league baseball team.

Seaport Entertainment also holds a stake in Jean-Georges Restaurants and an 80% interest in the air rights above the Fashion Show Mall, which is the site of a potential new casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Nikodemus most recently served as president and chief operating officer of CityCenter for MGM Resorts International, where he oversaw operations for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel & Spa, and ARIA Resort & Casino.

He also oversaw the development of the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino in Maryland and the MGM Springfield in Massachusetts.

"Anton brings tremendous experience building some of the country's most-acclaimed entertainment destinations," Howard Hughes Chief Executive David R. O'Reilly said in a statement.

Howard Hughes Holdings stock fell 0.5% on Thursday. The stock is down 8.1% in 2023, compared to a 10.6% rise by the S&P 500 SPX and a 25.7% gain by the Nasdaq COMP.

Companies have been turning to spinoff deals to unlock value amid economic uncertainty and higher borrowing costs.

In a fresh example, Vista Outdoor Inc. (VSTO) said Thursday the name of its outdoor products unit spinoff will be Revelyst Inc. to trade under the symbol "GEAR" on the New York Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry (BB) (CA:BB) said late Wednesday it plans to break out its IoT unit and float the business in an initial public offering in 2024. BlackBerry's stock fell by 4.7% on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Generic-drug maker Sandoz Group (SDZXF) was valued at around 10.3 billion Swiss francs ($11.18 billion) in its trading debut on the SIX Swiss Exchange after it was spun off from Novartis (NVS)( CH:NOVN).

Earlier this week, Aramark (ARMK) spun off its Vestis Corp. (VSTS) uniform services business.

Also this week, cereal giant WK Kellogg (KLG) started trading in a separation from its former parent Kellogg, which was renamed Kellanova (K) with a business focused on salty snacks.

In a larger deal, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) spun off its Kenvue Inc. (KVUE) consumer-health unit in August. Kenvue now has a market capitalization of $38 billion.

Vista Outdoor Inc. (VSTO) on Thursday announced the name of its outdoor products unit spioff will be Revelyst Inc. to trade under the symbol "GEAR" on the New York Stock Exchange.

Last month, Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. (BABA) said it intends to spin off its Cainiao logistics unit, with plans to give that company its own listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Looking ahead, Intel (INTC) is planning an IPO of its programmable solutions group in the next few years, after taking its Mobileye Global Inc. (MBLY) public last year.

-Steve Gelsi

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10-05-23 1025ET

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