Teradata Can Handle a Slump

Article Excerpt

TERADATA CORP. $15 (New York symbol TDC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 176.0 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) makes computers and software that capture and store large quantities of a business’s data, such as its sales and inventory. Analyzing this data for trends helps its clients expand their profits. Teradata’s earnings before unusual items in the third quarter of 2008 rose 24.1%, to $0.36 a share from $0.29 a year earlier. The gain was largely due to a greater number of high-profit-margin contracts. Revenue was unchanged at $439 million, as a rise in service revenue offset a drop in hardware sales. Services now supply 52% of its total revenue. Teradata continues to spend 6% of its revenue on research, so it’s more profitable than is appears. It’s also debt free, and holds cash of $378 million or $2.15 a share. Teradata is a buy. buy…