If you own a smartphone you are probably familiar with automated notifications. From convenient reminders that you’ve used up almost all of your data for the month, to messages asking you to verify an account, to alerts from health apps, these notifications help make everyday life easier.  Not only is this issue’s Project Alpha pick the secret behind these communications services, but it also dominates this niche market despite its small market cap. West Corporation (Nasdaq: WSTC)is a global telecommunications provider with a broad portfolio of product offerings ranging from 9-1-1 call processing to enterprise conferencing services to notification… Read More

If you own a smartphone you are probably familiar with automated notifications. From convenient reminders that you’ve used up almost all of your data for the month, to messages asking you to verify an account, to alerts from health apps, these notifications help make everyday life easier.  Not only is this issue’s Project Alpha pick the secret behind these communications services, but it also dominates this niche market despite its small market cap. West Corporation (Nasdaq: WSTC)is a global telecommunications provider with a broad portfolio of product offerings ranging from 9-1-1 call processing to enterprise conferencing services to notification systems in healthcare facilities.  West operates in five main segments generating sales of more than $2.2 billion, with its conferencing and collaboration services segment contributing to roughly half of the firm’s revenue. As the largest provider of conferencing and collaboration solutions in the world, West managed over 65 billion telephony minutes and facilitated over 167 million conference calls in 2015 for prominent clients such as IBM (NYSE: IBM), Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOGL), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), and Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO).  In 2015, the unified communications segment generated $1.5 billion in revenues and contributed to 82.9% of the firm’s operating income. Read More

With the pound at historic lows and economic uncertainty at its peak, it makes sense that financial institutions have been having a hard time in the wake of the Brexit. Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) is down over 21% and Barclays (NYSE: BCS) has plummeted nearly 32% since June 23. However, in this week’s Project Alpha I’m going to tell you about a small-cap financial services company that was hardly impacted by the Brexit. In fact its recent decision to redomicile, or move its location of incorporation from the United States to the UK, might actually improve… Read More

With the pound at historic lows and economic uncertainty at its peak, it makes sense that financial institutions have been having a hard time in the wake of the Brexit. Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) is down over 21% and Barclays (NYSE: BCS) has plummeted nearly 32% since June 23. However, in this week’s Project Alpha I’m going to tell you about a small-cap financial services company that was hardly impacted by the Brexit. In fact its recent decision to redomicile, or move its location of incorporation from the United States to the UK, might actually improve margins due to tax benefits.  #-ad_banner-#​Cardtronics (Nasdaq: CATM) is the no.1 deployer of non-bank ATMs in the world, and provides automated consumer financial services through its multi-function kiosks.  The firm currently operates over 190,000 devices globally for notable retailers and financial institutions including Target, 7-Eleven, CVS, Walgreens, Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo. These clients outsource their ATM functions to Cardtronics, which provides services such as machine maintenance, device branding and cash transportation and upkeep. The company’s ATMs are usually located in prominent and high-traffic locations, which creates three-sided network effects between financial institutions, consumers and retailers. Read More