Key facts about Thomson, tipped as Reuters bidder

(Figures in U.S. dollars)

Here are some key facts about Thomson TOC.TO TOC.N, tipped as a potential bidder for financial data and news company Reuters RTR.L RTRSY.O:

--Thomson Corp is based in Toronto, but runs its business out of Stamford, Connecticut. It is an electronic publishing giant, with reported revenues of $1.67 billion in the first quarter of this year.

--Thomson had 639.78 million shares outstanding as of April 30, according to Reuters Knowledge, giving it a market capitalisation of $28 billion at latest prices. It is listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.

--Thomson provides data, news, software and other applications in the fields of law, tax, financial services, research and health care. It competes with Reuters, and with Bloomberg LP, in providing information to financial markets.

--The company is selling its Thomson Learning division, which provides textbooks and online courses to government, companies and schools. Analysts have estimated that proceeds from the sale could top $5 billion (2.5 billion pounds).

--As of March 31 Thomson had long-term debt of $3.28 billion.

--Although it is a frequent buyer of assets, it has not done a large deal recently, focusing instead on smaller tuck-in purchases.

--The Thomson family holds 70 percent of Thomson Corp shares through their investment company Woodbridge Co. Ltd. Former Chairman Ken Thomson, Canada's richest man, died last year at the age of 82. Forbes magazine has listed his son David as the world's tenth richest man, with a family fortune of $22 billion.