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Latest Morning round-up
Morning round up | Published on 01/10/10
Redstone’s emerging new strategic direction and what next for ACS’s valuation?
Redstone’s full year results to March 2010 just published show the extent of the company’s problems, with revenues down 18% to £98m, a move into an EBITDA loss and significant cash outflows, which led to a rescue fund raising and change in management in late August (Premium Plus readers see here). We had a long chat with new CEO Tony Weaver about the company’s prospects and future strategic direction. Premium subscribers can read our full analysis of the results and our thoughts following the conversation in Newswire Plus.
ACS bolts on CareSys; what next for the valuation?
Healthcare and business management software vendor Advanced Computer Software has announced a small acquisition this morning in the form of CareSys for which it is paying £2.6m in cash. It is interesting to see what has been happening to valuations in the public sector software space in recent months. Whilst the quoted peer group is actually quite small, there continues to be a very clear divide between those involved in the healthcare sector and those that are not. But where does ACS fit these days? Read our thoughts on the matter in Newswire Plus.
Iomart on cloud nine
Iomart has released a positive update, with interim and full year results expected to be above market expectations (22% revenue and 69% PBT growth according to megabuyte). The company is experiencing strong growth in Cloud managed services and complex hosting solutions, from both new and existing customers. However, at a 38.1x current year PE and 16.2x EBITDA, the shares, which have doubled since May, are arguably already pricing in an upgrade.
Telecom Plus on track for FY11, but what about next year?
The Q2 update from multi-utility reseller Telecom Plus states the company has achieved a strong first half and is comfortable with full year FY10/11 expectations (14% revenues and 43% PBT growth). We continue to have concerns about FY11/12 forecasts of 12% revenue growth, given that customers and distributors grew only at a 6% annualised rate in the first half. See Newswire Plus for a full review of the figures.
Accenture’s positive results bode well for US earnings season ahead
IT outsourcing and consulting major, Accenture posted positive fourth quarter and full year results yesterday after hours. Q4 2010 revenue was up 5% (8% on local currency basis) to $5.42bn, in line with the company’s expectation of $5.25-$5.45bn. Both consulting and outsourcing revenues went up 6% and 4% to $3.09bn and $2.33bn respectively. Read our review of the results in Newswire Plus.
Velti buys Mobclix
Mobile advertising and marketing provider Velti is buying US private company Mobclix, which is a mobile advertising exchange network, connecting more than 15,000 mobile application developers and 25 online, video and mobile advertising networks. Apparently, it serves and monetises 8bn ad requests per month. No price or financial information has been released. This follows Velti’s recent interims, where we expressed concerns over the company’s financials and near term growth (Premium Plus readers see here).
More recent round-ups
- Logica appoints Keating to run Benelux and InternetQ follows Velti and Globo
- Norcon warns, Bango raises funds, and Redstone sells
- Torex coming out the other side and slow contract closure hits Misys
- AMQ decline hits Micro Focus, and M-PESA mobile money goes from strength to strength
- Positive Daisy and TIG results, a Focus bid, and Cambridge Broadband fundraising
- Amino’s Italian job and confident AltNet restates M&A intent
- Workplace SaaS strategy coming good and we initiate on Clearswift
- Daisy’s very healthy acquisition and System C reassures
- SaaS strategy emerging at Sage and Anite’s 4G driven first half
- Positive signs from Sanderson and GB and we initiate on Cambridge Broadband
- A transformational deal for Brady and we talk Cloud with Phoenix and Iomart
- Digital Barriers raises next round and sales closure delays hamper Patsystems
- Autonomy’s lack of deal news disappoints and we assess the outlook for SRT and PicoChip
- Accelerated growth for Ffastfill and we analyse Azzurri’s results
- Telecom Plus powers on, and Kcom to double shareholder returns
- RM looks to international markets and Ubisense and PicoChip raise fresh funds
- Vislink’s major portfolio rejig, and Ousourcery’s gain was C&W’s loss
- K3 builds MS capability with Panacea and a positive parting shot from DiData
- XLN’s excellent FY10, and Velti 9 month revenues and cash burn up strongly
- Strong interims from ACS prompt upgrades and CWW suffers at hands of UK mid market resellers
- Upbeat Eckoh to pay dividend, and CSF’s sale and leaseback-boosted profits
- Misys to buy Sophis and we review a strong quarter for UK mobile operators
- Cisco stock slips on weak outlook and BT raises guidance after good Q2
- Daisy consolidates rival consolidator SpiriTel, whilst Micro Focus suffers mixed trading
- A brighter future for Vodafone and Bach to leave Kewill
- Anite reports on a strong first half and Redstone turns buyer
- Lumison’s £100m buy and build ambition and Amor gets going on M&A plans
- Spirent sees pick up in LTE and we analyse Atex’s 2009 accounts
- Insipid recovery at Logica underlines weak positioning and a polarised performance from Alterian
- Arqiva attracts even more red ink and SRT reports bumper interims
- Telecity announces 7% capacity increase, whilst Iomart grows hosting revenues 25% through Titan buy
- Microsoft’s record quarter and musings on mVOIP
- Percello read across for PicoChip, and a rant about Promethean’s IPO
- Virgin ups the broadband ante and Equinix beats (lowered) guidance
- Bango’s update of two halves and SmartFocus parts company with CEO
- i3 Group’s big bet on fibre, and eServGlobal to return bulk of Oracle cash to shareholders
- Unicom’s stonkingly good results, and Sky continues to grab telecoms share
- COLT strikes a more cautious tone and is Bond building on sand?
- CWW signs PS MoU with HMG and Lagan recovery rewarded
- Apple and IBM like apples and pears and football shirts impact cash flow at Autonomy
- BT avoids heavy public sector cuts and Redstone sells maintenance businesses to Maintel
- Unequivocal recovery message from Computacenter and NCC makes decisive move in the US
- Multiple mobile stories from Monitise, Probability, Synchronica and Crimson Tide
- Storming results from Datatec and a slimmed down Instem returns to the market
- Star Internet’s less than stallar performance and Aveva sees continuing patterns
- Azzurri’s new CEO on growth, strategy and debt refinancing, and we initiate on GCI Telecom
- The quietest of Fridays and we add two new companies
- Autonomy and Daisy’s M&A ambitions examined
- Acision raises $100m from existing backers and Equinix shares hammered by (modest) warning
- Solution1 the latest to go the private equity route and Ffastfill in line at half time
- AltNet scales up with Scalable Communications and Focus Solutions completes its journey
- Redstone’s emerging new strategic direction and what next for ACS’s valuation?
- Velti’s numbers all over the place and Redstone spring clean continues
- Banking still a problem child for Misys and Zamano starting to stabilise
- Iris Software delivers robust 2010 results and ECI backs XLN as consolidation platform
- Hg’s Visma exit highlights resurgent private equity and System C strikes a more upbeat tone
- CSG’s £237m bid for Intec and Sophos reports continued growth
- Resilient NBT turns in another strong year and Ubiquisys looks to Asia for latest funding round
- No sign of a slowdown for Allocate and Black invests in Pinnacle
- Dealogic sees caution returning to capital markets and we review (another) flat year for Midland
- Freedom Communications’ managed services aspirations and RM successfully through busy summer
- Oracle focuses to become a one stop shop and there’s no stopping Blackberry (at least for now)
- 3UK’s £2,077 net debt per subscriber and Anite’s continuing long term evolution
- Host Europe swaps private equity owners and we initiate on Snell
- EMIS looks forward to EMIS Web roll out after solid H1 and PicoChip reports strong year
- K3 outperforms and Norkom warns
- More details on 1st The Exchange and how falling costs are driving femtocell and m2m deployment
- Profits ahead of expectations at ACS and TIG lands a biggie
- EMIS receives approval for EMIS Web and Vodafone exits China Mobile
- Phillips appointed at Micro Focus and XLN’s micro focus
- Craneware’s healthy results and the medicine is finally working for Kofax
- More fun with femtocells and we ask - will US Telcos ever learn?
- SRT on the crest of a wave but tougher times for Distribution Technology
- Chess not yet bored with acquisitions and Alterian builds in social media
- A brace of dire Aussie results and we spot Hawkins’ departure from Atex
- Computacenter confirms project rebound and we opine on mobile M&A
- Hello to Airwave and Amor and goodbye to WIN
- Growing momentum for Monitise and Interxion posts strong Q2
- Redstone’s fresh start and Clinical Solutions enjoys a better year
- What we missed in the last two weeks
- Logica pleases market with dividend move and 3UK still going nowhere
- Spirent results support Anite’s confidence and OLM looking for a stronger 2010
- Azzurri now focussed on growth and restructuring starts to bear fruit for Maxima
- Emphatic return to growth for SDL and they think it may all be over for WIN
- Fidessa pegged back by uncertain market and Telecity goes from strength to strength
- Momentum builds for Digital Barriers and Talk Talk suffers from lack of TV
- Global results season in full swing and BT’s ‘business as usual’ start to the year
- Virgin Media has best Q2 for years, and Nick Bray turns up at Sophos
- Mixed performance from Misys and we detect rumblings on the Sage board
- RM provides detail on impact of BSF cuts and the battle for WIN takes another turn
- Contrasting fortunes for Vodafone, Microsoft and Nokia, and Digital Barriers’ 2nd Buy
- Ofcom’s pole dancing and Autonomy’s pleasing cash conversion
- Apple shrugs off PR disaster and Promethean splashes some IPO cash
- CWW waylaid by public sector cuts, and Mobile peer group report published
- WIN receives indicative offer from ECI/MIG, and in-line updates from Kewill and Brady
- Vtesse’s broad ambitions and Sage CEO speculation proves true
- NTT bids for Dimension Data and Sage speculation
- EMIS shares wobble and Montanana backs news network security roll-up
- Monitise and Ubiquisys raise funds and Computacenter updates
- Solution1 IPO plans well advanced and Avanti taps investors for another £70m
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