Unique products give them an edge

Article Excerpt

These two firms make products that help other companies lower their costs. Both are now taking steps to strengthen their long-term prospects. But it will take some time for those moves to pay off. TERADATA CORP. $32 (New York symbol TDC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 130.4 million; Market cap: $4.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.teradata.com) makes computers and software that capture and store large amounts of a business’s data. It then analyzes this information and identifies customer buying habits and other trends. The company recently sold its marketing applications business for $90 million. The division produces software and services that help businesses improve the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. In the second quarter of 2016, Teradata’s revenue fell 3.6%, to $564 million from $585 million a year earlier. But thanks to savings from a cost-cutting plan, earnings jumped 23.7%, to $94 million from $76 million. Per-share earnings gained 34.0%,…