Hold on to ACI and Symantec

Article Excerpt

ACI WORLDWIDE $44.87 (Nasdaq symbol ACIW; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (402-334-5101; www.tsainc.com; Shares outstanding: 39.4 million; Market cap: $1.8 billion; No dividends paid) makes software for processing transactions involving credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank payments. Its products also help cut fraud. In mid-February 2012, ACI completed its $540- million purchase of S1 Corp. This acquisition has been a good fit: S1 sells transaction software for banks, credit unions, retailers and other payment processors. It has over 3,000 clients worldwide. In the third quarter of 2012, ACI’s revenue rose 38.3%, to $155.1 million from $112.1 million a year earlier. S1’s $47.8-million contribution was the main reason for the gain. Without one-time items, earnings per share fell 6.6%, to $0.29 from $0.31. The decline was largely due to the cost of integrating S1. The company has now completed most of this work. ACI holds cash of $87.7 million, or $2.22 a share. Its long-term debt of $369.0…