Financial information publisher, D&B Corp, also known as Dun & Bradstreet, reported it had acquired Dun & Bradstreet Australia Holdings Ltd, part of the D&B Worldwide Network. The US based business analytics provider said it had acquired the Australian unit for an estimated $205 million. The investment was concluded Tuesday and was mainly funded using cash on hand, said D&B Corp. Sara Mathew, chief executive officer D&B noted that the Australian business has rapidly grown in size, tripling its size over the last ten years.

The firm expects the growth to be sustained and continued in the coming years, said Mathew. In a statement, D&B Corp. said the acquisition would affect its full year earnings by about 4% to 5% per cent per share due to non cash charges, but even so, it is expected to provide incremental revenue in the range of $15 million to $20 million. Other than that, the firm as well maintained its outlook for the full year, reiterating that it expects earnings growth in a range of 1% to 6% before non-core gains and charges, on core revenue growth of between 1% and 3%.

Dun &Bradstreet Australia Holdings Ltd is a privately held business and offers credit and information services in both Australia and New Zealand. The firm has been a member of the American firm’s global network. Sara Mathew reiterated that the investment will enable the company to partake directly in the Australasia region, an expanse termed as increasingly significant for the company’s global business. In the 12 months ended June 30, D&B Australia generated about $80 million in revenue and operating margins of about 20%, D&B reported.

Dun & Bradstreet is the world's leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses. D&B's global commercial database contains more than 168 million business records. D&B provides solution sets that meet a diverse set of customer needs globally. Customers use D&B Risk Management Solutions to mitigate credit and supplier risk, increase cash flow and drive increased profitability; D&B Sales & Marketing Solutions to increase revenue from new and existing customers; and D&B Internet Solutions to convert prospects into clients faster by enabling business professionals to research companies, executives and industries, over the web.

Shares in D&B Corp. slid 35 cents to close at $65.90 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.

1 Sep 2010