Thomson’s turnaround takes off

Article Excerpt

The old Thomson Corp. wisely got out of the newspaper business in the early 2000s to focus on its faster-growing information-services operation. In 2008, it added more highquality financial data when it acquired the 160-year-old Reuters news agency for $17 billion U.S. in cash and shares. This deal also cut Thomson’s high reliance on North America. The company’s timing was bad, however, as the 2008/09 financial crisis forced many of its banking and brokerage clients to spend much less on information products. That delayed the gains Thomson expected from the Reuters deal. However, the company is now benefiting from this acquisition, as well as a long-range restructuring plan. That’s pushing up its earnings and freeing up cash for share buybacks and dividends. THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $54 (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 803.7 million; Market cap: $43.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.thomsonreuters.com) sells a variety of information products in…