The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, July 25, edition that BMO Nesbitt Burns analyst Stephen MacLeod believes Altus Group's ($22.92) acquisition of RealNet Canada has strengthened its position as a provider of information to the commercial and residential real estate industries. The Globe's Darcy Keith and Tim Shufelt write in the Eye On Equities column that on Wednesday, Altus announced the $20-million deal, which complements the company's existing information offerings with RealNet's data on sales and construction in the Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary markets. Mr. MacLeod raised his price target on Altus to $27 from $24 and maintained an "outperform" rating. Mr. McLeod says, "In the near term, the acquisition strengthens Altus's data offerings in Canada, solidifying it as the 'go to' independent provider of real estate data to lenders, developers, other users of real estate data." The analyst consensus price target over the next year, according to Thomson Reuters, is $25.17. The Globe's Ted Dixon reported in the Who's Buying and Selling column on Dec. 7, 2013, that Altus Group insiders were showing an interest in buying the company's stock. The shares were then worth $16.43.