The division's revenue was about $1.24 billion with operating profit approximately $333 million for 2016.

Company-wide net profit rose to around $518 million, a 16-percent increase over the prior year. Revenue of roughly $4.55 billion was up 2 percent. The figure was also up 2 percent in constant currency and 3 percent organically.

Tax & Accounting registered 6 percent organic growth. Revenue increases in the newly created North American software group were countered by decreases in Research & Leaning, which reflected the ongoing decline in print revenue and what the company described as "softness in online research and learning products."

Led by CEO Nancy McKinstry, the company pledged continued investment in new and enhanced products. The plan is to have spending in that area to range from 8 percent to 10 percent of revenue over the next few years.

"Our plan calls for increased focus on expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services to deliver expert answers, analytics and productivity for our customers," the company said. "To support digital growth across all divisions, we intend to accelerate our ongoing shift to global platforms and to cloud-based integrated solutions that offer mobile access. Our plan is to also expand our use of new media channels and to create an all-round, rich digital experience for our customers.