Susan Spilka
sspilka@wiley.com
Wiley
(201) 748-6147
Wiley Will Publish Three Mergent, Inc., Investment Handbooks
Hoboken, NJ, April 19, 2004 — Mergent, Inc., and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., announce the publication of Mergent's Dividend Achievers Handbook, Mergent's Handbook of Common Stocks™, and Mergent’s Handbook of NASDAQ Stocks™ nationwide. The Spring 2004 edition of Mergent's Dividend Achievers™ Handbook is a valuable investment tool that focuses on U.S. companies with consistent dividend growth.
Under a new agreement between the two companies, in addition to the Dividend Achievers Handbook, Wiley will also regularly publish two other Mergent flagship publications – Mergent’s Handbook of Common Stocks™ and Mergent’s Handbook of NASDAQ Stocks™.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., an international publisher in business, finance and a wide range of other fields, brings its strong marketing and distribution capability to the arrangement, which will expand the availability of Mergent's Handbooks and trade books to include major bookstores and online booksellers.
Bob Andrialis, president of Mergent, Inc., said, "We are very pleased to be working with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to bring our well-known financial and business data to a broader audience. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is one of the most respected names in business publishing, and we look forward to a long working relationship."
"Through Wiley's global marketing, distribution, and fulfillment systems, our customers will be able to purchase the Mergent publications as either quarterly subscriptions or individual volumes," said Sue Lewis, vice president and publisher, professional and trade periodicals, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
About Mergent Publications
The Dividend Achievers Handbook has been highlighting companies with strong dividend-paying records since 1979. Dividend Achievers are companies that have increased their dividends for the past 10 years or longer. These companies – which typically have strong cash flow and cash reserves – offer the potential for solid long-term investment performance. Historically, Dividend Achievers tend to outperform other stocks over the long term. The Dividend Achievers is a very elite group of companies – only about 2.5% of all listed U.S. companies qualify for such status.
The Dividend Achievers Handbook provides a full page of critical financial and corporate information for each Dividend Achiever company.
The investment potential of the Dividend Achievers has received new attention in recent months. Mergent introduced its Dividend Achievers Index, which tracks the aggregate total returns of all Dividend Achievers stocks. In addition, a new closed-end investment fund based on the Dividend Achievers methodology came to market in December, raising $720 million in its initial public offering (IPO). Additional investment products based on the Dividend Achievers are currently under discussion.
Common Stock and NASDAQ Stock Handbooks
Mergent's Handbook of Common Stocks™ offers quick and easy access to key business and financial statistics on approximately 900 New York Stock Exchange-listed issues. This handbook, updated quarterly, presents market data, performance ratios, stock prices, dividend information and recent quarterly results, as well as future prospects, in succinct one-page profiles for each stock.
Similarly, Mergent's Handbook of NASDAQ Stocks™ offers quick access to key business and financial statistics on companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market. This handbook is also updated quarterly, and contains succinct one-page profiles for each stock.
About Mergent, Inc.
Mergent, Inc., a leading provider of global business and financial information on publicly traded companies, is headquartered in New York, NY, and Charlotte, NC, and operates sales offices in key North American cities as well as London, Tokyo and Sydney. Mergent's products date back to 1900, and contain information on more than 15,000 U.S. public companies, 20,000 non-U.S. public companies in 100 countries, as well as extensive corporate and municipal bond, UIT and dividend information. More than 200,000 professional and individual clients worldwide turn to Mergent's products, which include Mergent Manuals, Mergent Handbooks and Investment Guides, and its flagship Internet service, Mergent Online. More information about Mergent, Inc. can be found at www.mergent.com.
About John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Its core businesses include professional and consumer books and subscription services; encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; scientific, technical, and medical journals, and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at www.wiley.com.
