Merger enhances Thomson’s outlook

Article Excerpt

THOMSON REUTERS CORP. $31 (Toronto symbol TRI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 816.6 million;Market cap: $25.3 billion; SI Rating: Above average) provides information products to over 30 million professionals in five areas: Legal (45% of 2007 revenues), Financial (30%), Tax & Accounting (9%), Scientific (9%) and Healthcare (6%). The company took its present form on April 17, 2008. That’s when The Thomson Corp. (old symbol TOC) merged with UK-based information provider Reuters Group plc. Thomson shareholders received one share of Thomson Reuters for each Thomson Corp. share they held. The company classifies the Reuters operations as part of its Financial operations. Following the merger, the Financial division now represents nearly 60% of Thomson Reuters’ total revenue. The merged company is now the world’s largest supplier of financial information. The stock is down 35% since it agreed to the Reuters merger in May 2007. That’s mainly due to its higher exposure to the Financial industry, particularly as writedowns of subprime mortgages and other risky loans…