Pearson stands to make $1.5bn from IDC sale

Financial Times publisher Pearson is considering selling its majority stake in financial information company Interactive Data Corporation.

Pearson, which owns 61 per cent of IDC, is carrying out a "preliminary review of strategic alternatives for the company" and gave no indication of whether it is already in negotiations with potential buyers.

IDC, which is listed in New York, is valued at $2.4 billion (£1.5 billion) so the Pearson stake is worth about $1.5 billion.

Analysts said Pearson could be interested in disposing of IDC to focus on its growing education arm.

Alex de Groote, analyst at Panmure Gordon, said: "It's a positive surprise. I don't think it will be done in isolation and will be done with a view to expanding overseas education."

Paul Richards, analyst at Numis Securities, said: "Strategically, it makes a lot of sense. IDC is a very good business and if Pearson didn't own it, they wouldn't buy it. Selling it gives them scope to make further bolt-ons in education. They've been quite exciting in education already, in online and in emerging markets."

Reports suggest financial information firms McGraw-Hill and Thomson Reuters, or a private-equity buyer could be interested in buying IDC, which provides market data and analytical tools and is chaired by Rona Fairhead, chairman of the FT Group and a Pearson board director. Bloomberg said it was not interested in buying IDC.

Shares in Pearson rose almost 2%, by 17p to 904.5p.