Pearson Buying National Computer Systems

Pearson, the British owner of the Financial Times and other major media outlets, said it’s paying $2.5 billion, or $73 a share, for National Computer Systems Inc., the largest processor of student assessment tests in the United States. NCS, based in Eden Prairie, Minn., provides software and Internet-based services for the collection and interpretation of educational data. It employs nearly 5,000 people and had revenue of $630 million last year. Pearson, which also owns the Economist magazine and Penguin books, also reported a profit of $186 million for the first six months of the year, contrasted with a loss of $30 million a year ago, as sales rose 18% to $2.33 billion.