Harris Interactive, based in Rochester, N.Y., on Thursday said it has acquired WirthlinWorldwide, based in Reston, Va., and with offices in Salt Lake City and Orem.
The deal involved a combination of stock and cash valued at $41.8 million.
In connection with the transaction, Harris Interactive issued 3.5 million shares of stock priced at $6.07 per share and paid $20.4 million in cash.
Harris is a market research and consulting firm best known for the Harris Poll.
WirthlinWorldwide is a privately held opinion research and consulting firm with $50 million in annual revenue and 300 clients. The combined firm will have more than 1,000 employees and is expected to generate $210 million to $215 million in revenue this fiscal year.
For the nine-plus months remaining in fiscal 2005, Harris expects WirthlinWorldwide to contribute approximately $40 million in revenue, 1 cent to 2 cents per share of pre-tax earnings, and 1 cent per share of net earnings.