‘Software as a service’ will spur their growth

Article Excerpt

ACI WORLDWIDE $17.87 (Nasdaq symbol ACIW; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (402-390-7600; www.aciworldwide.com; Shares o/s: 117.2 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; No dividends paid) makes software for processing transactions by credit cards, debit cards, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and interbank systems. Its products also work to cut fraud. The company’s more than 5,000 customers include 1,000 of the world’s largest financial institutions and 300 leading global retailers. Altogether, they process payments of over $14 trillion a day. In the quarter ended June 30, 2016, ACI’s sales fell 17.3%, to $219.9 million from $265.8 million a year earlier. The higher U.S. dollar cut the contribution of its international operations. As well, earlier this year, the company sold its Community Financial Services business to focus on big corporate clients. It provides payment systems to small banks and credit unions. New sales model will pay off Revenue also fell because ACI continues to shift from one-time sales of software to “software as a service.”…