Profitable niches heighten their appeal

Article Excerpt

AASTRA TECHNOLOGIES $20.78 (Toronto symbol AAH; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (905-760- 4200; www.aastra.com; Shares outstanding: 11.8 million; Market cap: $245.1 million; Dividend yield: 3.9%) develops and markets products and systems for accessing communication networks, including the Internet. Its technology is centred around business telephone systems and includes products that integrate land lines and mobile phones. In the three months ended June 30, 2013, Aastra’s sales rose 2.5%, to $150.8 million from $147.1 million a year earlier, as the company’s key markets in Germany and France improved significantly. Earnings per share jumped to $0.21 from $0.13. Aastra holds cash of $132.5 million, or a high $11.42 a share, and has no long-term debt. It spends a high 11% of its revenue on research. The stock yields 3.9%, and the dividend appears safe. As well, the company paid a one-time special dividend of $7.20 a share on August 16, 2013. Meanwhile, Aastra trades at 9.4 times the $2.20 a share that it should…