KKR to buy majority stake in Thomson Reuters print business

Thomson Reuters has agreed to sell a 51% stake in its global print business to KKR for $500 million, according to PE Hub. The transaction gives KKR a majority economic interest in the print operation, while Thomson Reuters will keep intellectual property rights and full editorial control over its content portfolio.

The business being sold in part supplies legal and tax information to customers worldwide in print form and through ProView, PE Hub reported. It also provides commercial printing services to a range of book publishers.

A 51% stake represents control of more than half of the equity in the business. In such a structure, the seller can reduce its financial exposure to an operation while continuing to retain specified rights, depending on the agreed terms. In this case, PE Hub reported that Thomson Reuters will retain the intellectual property rights tied to its content and will continue to control editorial decisions across the portfolio.

The retained rights are central to the transaction’s structure because the print operation distributes professional information in legal and tax markets. Thomson Reuters, headquartered in Toronto, is an information and technology company, according to PE Hub.

KKR is acquiring the stake for $500 million, PE Hub reported. No additional financial terms, closing timetable or regulatory conditions were disclosed in the available details.

This story draws on original reporting from PE Hub.