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Pro: End Of Staples-Office Depot A 'Real Big Setback For Both Companies'

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Pro: End Of Staples-Office Depot A 'Real Big Setback For Both Companies'

Anthony Chukumba of BB&T Capital Markets was a guest on CNBC's "Power Lunch" segment Wednesday to discuss the pending merger between Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) and Office Depot Inc (NASDAQ: ODP), which has now been officially terminated.

According to Chukumba, the termination of the proposed merger represents a "real big setback for both companies" given the "very compelling" strategic and financial rational reasoning behind a combination of both companies.

Related Link: Staples-Office Depot Merger Collapses After Block By Judge

He continued that since the merger deal is off the table, it's hard to make a compelling investment case for either company. He suggested that while the heavy selling activity in both names may be overblown, it's still hard for a long-term investor to get excited about owning either company.

Chukumba added that Staples will "survive" moving forward, but it won't necessarily "thrive." On the other hand, Office Depot's long-term outlook is "murky," as the company doesn't have the same kind of scale, profitability and balance sheet that Staples boasts.

On the other hand, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and its business segment will benefit. The analyst noted that Amazon Business is a $1 billion-plus segment growing at 20 percent and adding more business-to-business capabilities.

Bottom line, the analyst argued that it is "clear" that Staples will be around in five to 10 years and "not so clear" the same can be said about Office Depot.

Latest Ratings for ODP

DateFirmActionFromTo
Jan 2021JP MorganUpgradesUnderweightNeutral
Nov 2020UBSMaintainsSell
May 2019B of A SecuritiesDowngradesBuyUnderperform

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Related Articles (SPLS + ODP)

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Posted-In: Amazon Business Anthony Chukumba BB&T Capital Markets CNBCAnalyst Color Analyst Ratings Media Trading Ideas

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PTLOPiper SandlerMaintains28.0
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