Narrower focus pays off for Thomson

Article Excerpt

Starting 2018, Thomson Reuters has worked to wind down its financial information business and use the proceeds to reward investors. Thanks to that strategy, its stock has soared 200% in the past five years. We feel Thomson can still go higher as it shifts its focus to niche areas where it has a competitive advantage like legal databases. THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $176 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 455.3 million; Market cap: $80.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 8.9; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.thomsonreuters.com) sells specialized information (mainly through electronic channels) to professionals in the legal, and tax and accounting fields. It also owns the Reuters news service. Under a new strategy, in October 2018 the company sold 55% of its Financial & Risk (F&R) business to a consortium led by Blackstone Group LP (New York symbol BX). Renamed Refinitiv, this business sells specialized financial information products to clients such as banks and…