Here’s our Pick of the Month for September

Article Excerpt

RUGGEDCOM INC. $20.55 (Toronto symbol RCM; SI Rating: Speculative) (1-888-264-0006; www.ruggedcom.com; Shares outstanding: 12.1 million; Market cap: $248.6 million) makes computer-networking equipment that is used in harsh environments. The company’s products are designed to reliably operate under high levels of electromagnetic interference, wide variations in temperature and humidity, and high levels of vibration and exposure to dust. They also function while exposed to such things as corrosive gases and water. RuggedCom’s products include Ethernet switches that connect computers together and let them exchange data at high speeds. It also makes Internet-based communications networks that are faster and more functional than systems that are now used in harsh environments. In the three months ended June 30, 2009, RuggedCom’s revenue rose 25.6%, to $16 million from $12.8 million a year earlier. (All figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars.) Earnings per share fell 53.3%, to $0.07 from $0.15. Higher one-time costs, such as moving to a new plant and a jump…