BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS $60.43

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS $60.43 New York symbol BR; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (201-714-3000; www.broadridge.com; Shares outstanding: 118.8 million; Market cap: $7.2 billion; Dividend yield: 2.0%) serves the investment industry in two main areas: investor communications, and securities processing and transaction clearing. It processes 90% of all proxy votes in the U.S. and Canada. Excluding one-time items, Broadridge earned $46.5 million in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended December 31, 2015. That’s up 16.5% from $39.9 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 18.8%, to $0.38 from $0.32, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue gained 11.1%, to $638.9 million from $574.6 million. Investor communications makes up 72% of Broadridge’s revenues. Back-office securities processing and transaction clearing make up the remaining 28%; they also provide the company with strong long-term growth prospects in the U.S. and globally. For example, the company recently won a contract to support the equity processing business of Monex Inc., one of Japan’s largest online brokers. Monex will use Broadridge’s JASDEC (Japan Securities Depository Center Inc.) processing system. A number of securities firms in Japan and elsewhere in Asia already use the software. Japan’s securities market is undergoing regulatory changes, which will require brokers to standardize how they process securities. Broadridge is well positioned to profit from this trend. The company is forecast to earn $2.77 a share in 2016. The stock has moved to all-time highs, and now trades at 21.8 times that estimate. That’s still reasonable in light of its strong growth prospects. Broadridge Financial Solutions is a buy.

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