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Western Digital Surpasses Expectations in Fiscal Q3

Western Digital posted third quarter results that surpassed our expectations and management’s quarterly guidance, making it clear that the market hasn’t forgotten about hard disk drives (HDDs). While Western Digital’s near-term prospects are better than we had anticipated, we are maintaining our stable moat rating as these opportunities are balanced by adverse secular trends that will likely limit the company’s long-term performance. Sales in the … Continue reading Western Digital Surpasses Expectations in Fiscal Q3

INFA Reports Strong Quarter Despite Macro Headwinds

Informatica reported solid first-quarter results with revenue growth slightly exceeding expectations, as increased hiring and investment weighed on margins.  The firm grew revenue 9.3% from the year-ago period to $214.3 million, 5% ahead of our model. Informatica changed the way it reports revenues by giving more details, which we find helpful. Service revenue was strong, gaining 14.8% year over year to $126.4 million. The Consulting … Continue reading INFA Reports Strong Quarter Despite Macro Headwinds

Stericycle Profits Rise Despite Revenue Declines

Stericycle reported stronger profitability in the third quarter despite experiencing slower top-line growth both year over year and sequentially. Seventeen acquisitions contributed toward an increase in revenue by 11.3% to $535 million in the quarter; however, consolidated internal growth of 6.5% was on the low end of Stericycle’s typical target range. In particular, domestic small quantity (SQ) revenue grew organically by 8%, and large quantity … Continue reading Stericycle Profits Rise Despite Revenue Declines

KPN Meets Street Expectations in Third Quarter

KPN reported third-quarter results that were generally in line with our expectations, and we are maintaining our fair value estimate and moat rating for now. While the firm has chosen to classify E-Plus, the German operation it agreed to sell to Telefonica, as a discontinued operation, we are including the division as we think there is still a significant chance that European regulators will not … Continue reading KPN Meets Street Expectations in Third Quarter

Still-Weak European Paper Demand Weighed on UPM’s 1Q Results

Despite relatively steady performance from the energy and pulp segments, UPM’s quarterly EBITDA contracted 20% year over year; EBITDA from the paper business was nearly halved over the same period. As the world’s largest producer of graphic paper, UPM remains highly dependent on its paper business, where volume continues to decline–European magazine papers fell 6%, newsprint fell 3%, and fine papers fell 6%–and present significant … Continue reading Still-Weak European Paper Demand Weighed on UPM’s 1Q Results

Nokia Earnings Show Some Bright Spots

Nokia’s second-quarter earnings report had a couple of bright spots but was mostly concerning as the firm’s mobile phone business continues to languish.  The favorable view of Nokia’s pending acquisition of the remainder of its Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) joint venture is mostly offset by a rapidly deteriorating basic phone market and only modest Windows Lumia phone adoption to date. Nokia sold 7.4 million Lumia … Continue reading Nokia Earnings Show Some Bright Spots