SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX ) , a global information-technology company specializing in supply-chain services, has seen a nice move in its stock in the past few months. Some of that boost -- the company's shares have jumped from $16.50 to $22.88 since June -- can be attributed to overall growth in the tech world, in which distribution players are also benefiting, but SYNNEX has some strength of its own and a good track record. Let's take a closer look.
In its third quarter, revenues increased 14.4% to $1.59 billion. Net income surged 52.5% to $13.8 million, or $0.43 per share. Excluding non-cash items, earnings were $14.4 million, or $0.45 per share. Going into the fourth quarter, management expects revenues to fall between $1.67 billion and $1.72 billion and net income to land between $14.2 million and $14.9 million, or $0.44 to $0.46 per share.
Founded in 1980, SYNNEX is now the country's third-largest IT distributor. Its comprehensive mix of products and services includes peripherals, software, networking, system components, and IT systems. It has accounts with such big names as Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT ) , Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC ) , IBM (NYSE: IBM ) , Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) , and Lexmark (NYSE: LXK ) . And it has 16 distribution facilities spread across the U.S., Canada, China, and Mexico. Of course, the operations at these sites are highly automated -- they use things like RFID tags -- and are typically located next to end users and reseller customers. That lowers shipping costs and increases lead times.
The company also has a contract assembly business, in which it assembles IT systems, such as workstations and servers, and ships the products. However, this portion of the business is relatively small; it accounted for just $134.4 million in revenues for the third quarter.
SYNNEX has a fairly steady business. In fact, this was its 77th consecutive quarter of recording positive GAAP earnings. This might be a good way for more risk-averse investors to participate in an "old-growth" tech name in a sector on the upswing. But potential investors should do a bit more digging, starting with a look at the stock's valuation earlier this year.
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Fool contributor Tom Taulli does not own shares of companies mentioned in this article.
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