Great fit for Intact

Article Excerpt

INTACT FINANCIAL CORPORATION $54.19 (Toronto symbol IFC; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (416-341-1464; www.intactfc.com; Shares outstanding: 115.1 million; Market cap: $6.0 billion; Dividend yield: 2.7%) has agreed to buy AXA Canada from Paris-based ASX Group for $2.6 billion. AXA Canada is Canada’s sixth-largest home, auto and commercial insurer. AXA Canada will increase Intact’s premium revenue by about 40%, to $6.5 billion a year. It will also cut Intact’s reliance on personal auto insurance, which now accounts for about 49% of its revenue. As well, the purchase lets Intact access the commercial-insurance market. (AXA Canada now gets 36% of its business from selling commercial insurance.) The purchase will also let Intact expand into Quebec, B.C. and Atlantic Canada. Intact Financial is still a buy. buy…