Unique services set them apart

Article Excerpt

These two firms play increasingly important roles in the financial services industry. That’s because they help banks and other institutions cut their credit risk and comply with increasingly complex regulations. Both stocks are up sharply in the past year, but we feel they still have room to rise. BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. $37 (New York symbol BR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 119.4 million; Market cap: $4.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.broadridge.com) serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications, securities processing and transaction clearing. The company processes 85% of all proxy votes in the U.S. In its fiscal 2014 second quarter, which ended December 31, 2013, Broadridge earned $31.2 million, up 43.1% from $21.8 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 47.1%, to $0.25 from $0.17, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue gained 5.6%, to $520.6 million from $493.2 million. Revenue from contracts that pay Broadridge recurring fees (two-thirds…