Narrower focus pays off for Thomson

Article Excerpt

THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $60 (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 716.9 million; Market cap: $43.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.8; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.thomsonreuters. com) sells specialized information products to financial clients such as banks and brokerages. In 2016, this business supplied 54% of its revenue. The company also sells specialized information to professionals in the legal (30%), and tax and accounting (13%) fields. Its Reuters news division supplied the remaining 3%. In 2016, 62% of Thomson’s revenue came from customers in the Americas, followed by Europe (27%) and Asia Pacific (11%). Slowing revenue spurred restructuring plan Following the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the company’s banking clients cut their spending on data products. Thomson also sold its Intellectual Property and Science business in 2016 for $3.55 billion (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). As a result, revenue fell 15.9%, from $13.3 billion in 2012 to $11.2 billion in 2016. The company responded…