Business News
Thomson Files Information Circular for Approval of Reuters Acquisition
Monday 03. March 2008 - Transaction Expected to Close on April 17; Interim Dividend to be Paid
The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), a leading provider of information solutions to business and professional customers worldwide, has filed an information circular for its upcoming shareholders meeting to approve the Reuters acquisition. The shareholders meeting will be held on March 26, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada. Separately today, Reuters filed a circular for its own shareholder meetings to be held on March 26, 2008 in London to approve the transaction. Thomsons acquisition of Reuters is expected to close on April 17, 2008, and the transaction has received all required antitrust/regulatory clearances.
Thomson and Reuters have historically paid dividends to their shareholders at different times of the year, and in different amounts. To align the timing and amount of future dividend payments to Thomson Reuters shareholders, an interim dividend of $0.31747 per share will be paid on May 1, 2008 to Thomson common shareholders of record on April 16, 2008. The interim dividend is based on Thomsons previously announced 2008 quarterly dividend rate of $0.27 per share (or $1.08 per share for the year) and covers the period from January 1, 2008 through April 16, 2008. The payment of the interim dividend in May will result in Thomson Reuters not paying a dividend in June 2008, as has been Thomsons past practice, and regularly scheduled dividend payments will resume in September 2008 ($0.22253 per share) and in December 2008 ($0.27 per share).
More information about the Thomson Reuters business, the Thomson Reuters Board and executive management team and dividends expected to be paid during the remainder of 2008 is available in the information circular.
Holders of Thomson common shares as of 5:00 p.m. (ET) on February 22, 2008 will be entitled to vote at the upcoming meeting. The circular is being mailed to shareholders. A copy of the circular is available at the SECs website at www.sec.gov, at the Canadian securities regulatory authorities website at www.sedar.com and at www.thomson.com.