Unique products give Thomson an edge

Article Excerpt

Media firms continue to face strong competition from websites offering free information. However, demand for Thomson’s hard-to-replace data should remain strong. Torstar’s new online investments (see box) have some promise, but they will take years to pay off. THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $55 (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 748.6 million; Market cap: $41.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.8; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.thomsonreuters.com) sells specialized information to professionals in the financial (55%); legal (30%); and tax and accounting (12%) fields. Its Reuters News division supplies the remaining 3%. The company’s revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2016, fell 1.2%, to $2.77 billion from $2.80 billion a year earlier (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Without exchange rates, revenue was unchanged. Earnings in the quarter increased 5.4%, to $374 million from $355 million. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 11.1%, to $0.50 from $0.45. In…