High p/e adds to Teradata’s risk

Article Excerpt

TERADATA CORP. $68 (New York symbol TDC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 168.3 million; Market cap: $11.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.teradata.com) saw its revenue rise 22.0% in 2011, to $2.4 billion from $1.9 billion in 2010. Earnings per share rose 24.7%, to $2.32 from $1.86. The company should continue to profit from strong demand for its analytics services, which help businesses gather and analyze large amounts of data, including customer purchasing patterns. However, at over 27 times earnings, the stock could drop suddenly if Teradata’s earnings fail to live up to expectations. Teradata is a hold. hold…