Artemis US equities head Weldon: Facebook break-up would boost value

Able to monetise its assets

The sum of Facebook’s parts would be more valuable if it was to be broken up as a result of the ballooning political risk faced by the social media giant, according to head of US equities at Artemis Investment Management Cormac Weldon.

Weldon, who manages the Artemis US Equity, Select and Smaller Companies funds, said a split would improve the profitability of Facebook's businesses, such as WhatsApp, and he would "probably" own more of the firm overall as a result. Miton's Grieves: Are we approaching peak FAANG? Speaking to Investment Week, Weldon said Facebook and other FAANG stocks are "going through a period of political difficulty", with governments increasingly concerned about the firm's influence and its digital privacy policies. As a result, he explained, Facebook could face regulatory intervention, includ...