2017 wasn’t an easy year for media and events giant Ascential (ASCL). Print publishing continued to take a battering, while the high profile withdrawal of advertising giant Publicis from the Cannes Lions Festival of Marketing – one of Ascential’s biggest events – worried investors. And yet, canny management and constant attention to the portfolio have ensured the company continues to produce solid financial results which have helped send the share price up over 40 per cent in the last year.
The most recent addition to the portfolio is analytics provider Clavis Insight, which the group has bought for $119m. The Dublin-based entity – which helps consumer goods companies sell products online – is expected to help boost the information services business, which generates roughly a third of Ascential’s revenues.
