DUN & BRADSTREET RESTRUCTURES
By Adnews Staff
U.S.-based businesss information giant Dun & Bradstreet is dividing itself into three public companies this year. Currently D&B has two subsidiaries: Moody Investors and A.C. Nielsen. The three parts are worth more than the whole on the stock market, according to D&B CEO Robert Weissman. "This important action is designed to increase shareholder value by unlocking D&B's substantial underlying franchise strengths," says Weissman in a release. The re-organization, to be completed by the end of 1996, will result in the formation of Cognizant Corp., D&B and A.C. Nielsen. Cognizant will include IMS International, which provides marketing information to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, the Gartner Group, which provides advisory services to high-tech users, and Nielsen Media Research, which handles audience measurement for electronic media. In its new form, D&B will provide business-to-business marketing and commercial-credit information. It will also have Moody's Investors Service as a division, as well as Reuben Donnelley, which does Yellow Pages marketing and publishing. A.C. Nielsen will provide marketing information for the consumer packaged goods industry. D&B's current finance vice-president and chief financial officer, Nicholas Trivisonno, will become chairman and CEO of A.C. Nielsen.