Two acquisitions for IHS, Inc.

IHS, Inc. (Englewood, CO), a provider of technical and business information for the energy, defense, aerospace, construction, electronics and automotive industries, has acquired John S. Herold, Inc. (Norwalk, CT), a research firm that provides analyses and financial and operational data on more than 400 global oil and gas companies, for $48 million in cash.

Herold, founded in 1948, is an information services company that provides online transaction databases and deal analyses relevant to understanding and executing energy mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions. Clients include major oil and gas companies, commercial and investment banks, and institutional and investment money managers.

Herold Chairman/CEO Art Smith said "the data, information and research capabilities of Herold and IHS are natural and complementary and will enable critical insights from the wellhead to Wall Street. The extensive well- and field-level data from IHS will enhance Herold's research, valuation and project analyses."

IHS has also acquired the assets of Strategic Decision Group Corporation's (Menlo Park, CA) Oil & Gas Consulting Practice (SDG O&G), a provider of consulting services to enterprises in the oil and gas industry, for $7.6 million in cash. The assets will become a part of IHS' Cambridge Energy Research Associates (Cambridge, MA) unit.

SDP O&G serves energy firms with information relating to business unit and major capital projects, overall corporate strategies, portfolio management, and mergers, acquisitions and divestments.