Leaner media companies aim to grow

Article Excerpt

These three media companies continue to cut their costs and streamline their businesses in response to rising competition from free information on the Internet. The resulting savings have kept them profitable and let them maintain—or raise—their dividends. They have also been making acquisitions, often at bargain prices. THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $30 (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 829.2 million; Market cap: $24.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 4.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.thomsonreuters.com) gets 58% of its revenue and 48% of its earnings by selling news and information products to professionals in the banking industry and the legal (25%, 32%), accounting (10%, 11%) and scientific research (7%, 9%) fields. Over 85% of the company’s revenue comes from products it sells under subscriptions and contracts. That gives it predictable revenue streams and cuts its risk. As well, more of its customers are switching from printed to electronic products; that’s lowering its printing and postage costs. Thomson Reuters recently agreed…