Top brands will fuel their growth

Article Excerpt

The original Dun & Bradstreet split itself into two separate companies in September 2000. From then till 2007, both stocks were terrific performers. Moody’s peaked at $76 in February 2007, while Dun & Bradstreet hit $108 in July 2007. Since then, the credit crisis, which took hold in 2008, has dampened their earnings and stock prices. As well, regulators are investigating the role rating agencies played in triggering the recession. The result could be greater restrictions on their operations, including the way they are paid. However, because rating firms provide independent, publicly available opinions, constitutional free-speech guarantees help protect them from shareholder lawsuits. We feel both firms will continue to profit from their well-established brands and large customer bases. Both are also cutting costs and expanding internationally. DUN & BRADSTREET CORP. $80 (New York symbol DNB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 53.6 million; Market cap: $4.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; WSSF Rating: Average) is the world’s largest provider of credit reports…