Carfax Owner R.L. Polk Acquired by IHS for $1.4 Billion

IHS’s acquisition will comprise 90% cash and 10% equity. IHS will fund the cash portion of the deal from cash on hand, an existing revolving loan facility and a new term loan.

In addition to Polk, IHS owns analytics firms iSuppli, which provides research services on the technology industry, and oil and energy research stalwart CERA. Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer-prize winning author of “The Prize,” a history of the oil industry, and other books is IHS’s vice-chairman.

Polk’s current annual revenue totals around $400 million, and according to IHS’s chief financial officer, is growing at a rate of mid to high single digits. IHS expects the acquisition to be “significantly accretive” to fiscal 2014 (ending November 2014) earnings per share.

Shares of IHS closed at $106.94 on Friday and are inactive in the premarket this morning. The stock’s 52-week range is $83.02 to $118.93.