Australia's Xero hits near 3-year high on acquisition of Syft Analytics

** Shares of Xero XRO rise as much as 2.1% to A$147.47, their highest since Dec 2021; shares currently up 1.8% as of 0047 GMT

** The accounting service provider says it is acquiring Johannesburg-based cloud platform Syft Analytics for US$70 million

** Co says acquisition will enhance its reporting and insights capability for its customers in Australia, United States, United Kingdom and other global markets

** Including day's moves, stock has risen 30.9% this year