Intact enters U.S. market

Article Excerpt

INTACT FINANCIAL $92.92 (Toronto symbol IFC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-3411464; www.intactfc.com; Shares outstanding: 131.0 million; Market cap: $12.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%) has agreed to buy OneBeacon Insurance Group (symbol OB on New York) for $1.7 billion U.S. It will pay for the purchase with a combination of shares and cash. OneBeacon is a Minnesota-based insurance holding company; its property-casualty insurance businesses provide a range of specialty insurance products in the U.S. OneBeacon is Intact’s first entry into the U.S. market. That, plus an acquisition of this size, adds risk. However, OneBeacon looks like a great fit for Intact, which has successfully integrated a number of acquisitions in the past few years. Intact Financial is still a buy. buy…