Profits Up Despite Flat Sales At These Two

Article Excerpt

AASTRA TECHNOLOGIES $30.71 (Toronto symbol AAH; SI Rating: Speculative) (905-760-4200; www.aastra.com; Shares outstanding: 16.0 million; Market cap: $491.8 million) develops and markets products and systems for accessing communication networks, including the Internet. Aastra’s products include residential and business telephone terminals, screen telephones capable of accessing Internet content, cable modems, network access servers and digital video encoders, decoders and gateways for the broadcast, cable and telecommunications market. To cut risk, Aastra outsources all of its manufacturing. In the three months ended September 30, 2007, Aastra’s revenues fell 1.1%, to $141.1 million from $142.8 million. However, earnings per share rose 63%, to $0.44 from $0.27 on lower expenses. Sales in Europe were flat at $117.1 million, mainly due to weaker sales in France. North American revenues fell 4.8%, to $24 million, because of slower U.S. sales and the impact of a stronger Canadian dollar. Aastra holds cash and marketable securities of $125.6 million, or $7.85 a share. It recently received $5.2 million in cash to…