Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hi Pat: We are thinking of buying shares of Open Text Corp (TSE: OTEX). We would appreciate your view of this company as an investment. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Open Text, $45.08, symbol OTEX on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 263.1 million; Market cap: $11.8 billion; www.opentext.com), develops, markets, licenses and supports collaboration and enterprise-information-management software for corporate clients. That software stores, finds, and distributes information across corporate intranet and extranet networks as well as the broader Internet. For its fiscal year ended June 30, 2017, Open Text’s revenue rose 25.6%, to $2.3 billion from $1.8 billion in fiscal 2016. (All figures except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars.) Excluding one-time items, earnings per share rose 14.1%, to $2.02 from $1.77. The company’s revenues and profits have risen steadily over the last five years: in fiscal 2012, revenue was $1.2 billion and earnings per share were $1.15 (adjusted for a 2-for-1 split in January 2017). Open Text’s balance sheet is sound, with cash of $443.4 million U.S., or $1.88 a share. Its long-term debt of $2.4 billion U.S. is a manageable 26.3% of the company’s $11.8 billion market cap. It spends…