Chiquita Brands International Inc (CQB), Altria Group Inc (MO), Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ): The Most Powerful Company You’ve Never Heard Of

With its spinoff, Altria set in motion a chain of events that would lead to its removal from the Dow Jones Industrial Average a year later, after which Kraft replaced it for a period of four years. The Dow actually traded down  in this instance — over the five years that followed its divestiture, Kraft would gain 60%, but Altria grew 106%. The Dow, on the other hand, gained only 7% in that time frame, hampered by a deep crash that began later in the year of the Kraft spinoff. Kraft continued the chain of divestiture when it renamed itself Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ) and spun off a new Kraft Foods Group Inc (NASDAQ:KRFT) to serve the U.S. grocery market. Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ) retained the rights to international operations and to the company’s more lucrative brands, such as Oreo, the world’s most popular cookie.

The article The Most Powerful Company You’ve Never Heard Of originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Alex Planes holds no financial position in any company mentioned here. Add him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter, @TMFBiggles, for more insight into markets, history, and technology.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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