Sharewatch: BATM

Along with death and taxes, growth of internet traffic appears to be one of life’s constants. Yet the pressure on operators to provide acceptable service levels has been a boon for BATM, the technology equipment maker. It makes internet switches, which act as traffic lights for ethernet broadband, the standard network technology. And it has seen operating profits rise 44 per cent to $24m and revenues climb 40 per cent to $134.5m. Net cash jumped from $57.3m to $69.1m. The group suffered this year as operators cut spending, which is why the shares lost two thirds of their value – and why Altium Securities expects BATM to post modest full-year profits of $27m from revenues of $139.1m. So, although the shares have risen 44 per cent in three months, they still trade on a price-earnings ratio of around 16 times, below the IT sector average.

Philip Stafford