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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Ascential shares soar after £1.2bn bid from Informa

(Sharecast News) - Publishing and exhibitions group Informa on Wednesday said it was buying rival Ascential in an agreed £1.2bn deal. The 568p-a-share offer price represented a 53% premium to Ascential's closing price of 22 July, Informa said on Wednesday.

Shares in Ascential, which owns the famous Cannes Lions Festival - known as the 'Oscars of advertising' - surged to 564 pence in early deals, a jump of 26%.

Informa said the acquisition would lift adjusted earnings per share by at least 5% in the first full year, based on strong revenue growth along with £12m in cost savings.

It also released first-half results, with underlying operating profit growth of 18.8%, while revenue grew 11%. Annual adjusted operating profit was now tipped to be above the top of current guidance of £970m with upper estimates of £1bn.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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