Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: Could you provide your thoughts on investing in Nuance Communications? Is the recent increase in Carl Icahn’s position a good sign? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Nuance Communications, $17.39, symbol NUAN on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 310.3 million; Market cap: $5.5 billion; www.nuance.com), provides speech and imaging technology. Its systems enable voice-activated services over a telephone, transform speech into text and allow users to control devices and software by voice. Nuance sells its products through software and hardware vendors, resellers and telecom carriers. It also has its own sales force and e-commerce website. In the three months ended June 30, 2013, Nuance’s revenue rose 8.8%, to $469.8 million from $431.7 million a year earlier. The company’s revenue continues to grow, along with steady demand for its products in markets including automotive, mobile devices and health care. Excluding one-time items, earnings per share fell 24.4%, to $0.34 from $0.45. The company’s costs for research and development, sales and marketing rose in the latest quarter. Nuance spends a high 16% of its sales on research. The company’s recent $80-million acquisition of Tweddle Connect has strengthened its position in the fast-growing automotive…