CIBC continues its U.S. push

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $107 (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 436.1 million; Market cap: $46.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield: 4.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www. cibc.com) has agreed to buy privately held Geneva Advisors, a Chicago-based wealth management firm. CIBC will pay $200 million U.S. (consisting of 25% in cash and 75% in CIBC shares). It expects to complete the purchase later this year. Geneva Advisors focuses on high-net-worth clients, and has $8.4 billion U.S. in assets under administration. Following the purchase, CIBC’s American operations will have $50 billion U.S. in assets under administration. The new operations look like a good fit with Chicago-based PrivateBancorp, which CIBC recently acquired for $5.0 billion U.S. (48% in cash, 52% in shares). That firm mainly lends to small and mid-sized businesses and also provides wealth-management services. In addition to Chicago, it operates in 11 other U.S. markets. CIBC expects to spend another $130 million U.S. to $150…