Buy Broadridge, sell Autodesk

Article Excerpt

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS $21 (New York symbol BR: TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (201-714 -3000; www.broadridge.com; Shares outstanding: 125.0 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%) serves the investment industry in three main areas: investor communications; securities processing; and transaction clearing. Clients include both large and small firms. Broadridge’s systems help its customers cut costs. Mutual-fund companies are buying fewer of Broadridge’s event-related services. That’s because these clients are holding fewer special events, such as meetings to change the directors of their funds. As a result, the company’s earnings fell 79.4%, to $10.6 million, or $0.08 a share, in the three months ended December 31, 2010. A year earlier it earned $51.5 million, or $0.37 a share. That fell short of the consensus estimate of $0.14 a share. Revenue fell 16.5%, to $442.3 million from $529.7 million. Broadridge’s proxy revenue will probably continue to suffer in the next few months. However, the company continues to see steady revenue gains from its other operations. For…