MutualFundWire.com: DST Focuses on Serving Funds, Unloads Two Subs
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Wednesday, July 6, 2005

DST Focuses on Serving Funds, Unloads Two Subs


DST Systems has sold off two more of its non-mutual fund processing businesses. The sales of DST Innovis Inc. and DST Interactive Inc. to St. Louis-based Amdocs brought DST $519 million of cash after taxes. In April, DST also sold its Equiserve business. The sales appear to be part of an effort by DST to focus on the fund processing business and may be part of a preparation for the sale of the entire business.

DST Innovis and DST Interactive provide outsourced billing and other customer care satellite to DirecTV, Comcast, Cablevision and other cable companies.

According to the Kansas City Star, DST CFO Ken Hager said that the three sales were independent and that they do not reflect a broad strategy at DST.

However, Peter Heckmann, an equity analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co., wrote in a client note that the sale "helps return DST toward a pure-play mutual fund processor — and potentially sets the company up for a sale."

DST also owns a half stake in Boston Financial Data Services (BFDS) along with Boston's State Street Corp.


Printed from: MFWire.com/story.asp?s=10025

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