The Fool asks: Is the Thomson Reuters turnaround story real?

The business of selling news and information is a difficult one these days, and Thomson Reuters has been on a multi-year mission to acquire new technology, improve efficiency, and cut operating costs across its various business units, the Fool’s Canadian website said.

Since 2009, it has made more than 25 strategic acquisitions to drive growth in its core markets of operation: financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, and intellectual property and science. The 2008 merger of Thomson and Reuters and the integration of all the new acquisitions has been challenging for the company, but management appears to be making progress, it said.

“The company’s competitive advantage lies in its ability to combine industry expertise with leading-edge technology to deliver timely and important information. Thomson Reuters’ clients use the company’s products and services to help them make key decisions,” the Fool said.

The company plans to make fewer acquisitions, and this should free up more cash to return to shareholders as the company focuses on organic growth.

The markets were pleased with the overall performance, driving the company’s shares up by more than $1 to $38 in New York. In Toronto the shares finished the day at C$41.42, just shy of its two-year high.

“The company appears to be on the right track," the Fool said. "For investors who are comfortable being paid to wait, now might be a good time to invest in Thomson Reuters.” ■