Topic: Growth Stocks

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK $42.74 – Nasdaq symbol ATNI

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK $42.74 (Nasdaq symbol ATNI; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (340- 777-8000; www.atni.com; Shares outstanding: 15.6 million;Market cap: $666.7 million; Yield: 2.3%) sells telecommunications services, mainly in rural areas in the U.S., Bermuda
and the Caribbean region.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Atlantic’s revenue fell 4.4%, to $185.3 million from $193.8 million a year ago. However, earnings jumped to $10.5 million, or $0.67 a share, from $1.8 million, or $0.12.

In April 2010, the company bought 800,000 wireless accounts from Verizon Wireless for $200 million. These subscribers were mostly in rural parts of Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Idaho and the Carolinas. Atlantic lost some of these users while it converted them to its network, but it has finished this conversion and is now focused on cutting its costs and attracting new clients.

Higher revenues in sight

Atlantic is also starting to benefit from U Prepaid, a wireless service it offers through a partnership with U.S. Cellular. The companies sell U Prepaid, which doesn’t require a contract, through 500 Wal-Mart stores in 18 states. U Prepaid runs on either U.S. Cellular’s network or Atlantic’s Alltel Wireless network.

The company stands to make further gains as it sells more smartphones, which generate higher fees than regular cellphones. Atlantic also expects to finish rolling out its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) wireless networks next year. LTE networks are up to five times faster than those in use today.

Atlantic has just raised its quarterly dividend by 8.7%, to $0.25 from $0.23. It now yields 2.3%.

Atlantic Tele-Network is a buy.

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