CyberSource Prints Money

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As more and more companies go online, they are all looking for payment systems. One of the long-term players in this space is CyberSource (Nasdaq: CYBS), which processed 287 million transactions in its third quarter. This represents an increase of 41% from last year. But the company wants to boost things even more and is in the process of buying rival Authorize.Net (Nasdaq: ANET) for $565 million.

In the meantime, CyberSource is posting some nice results. Third-quarter revenue spiked 53% to $26.5 million, and the customer base increased by 2,000 to 22,000. Customers include Tibco Software (Nasdaq: TIBX), Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), and J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP). CyberSource's net income increased 21% to $347,000, or $0.01 per share. But non-GAAP net income was $3.5 million, or $0.09 per share.

However, there are some problems. For example, the company's BidPay offering -- which is similar to eBay's (Nasdaq: EBAY) PayPal -- is languishing, with a mere $120,000 in revenue for Q3. CyberSource is actually looking for a partner to try to improve things.

But investors seem to be mostly focused on the Authorize.Net transaction, which is expected to close Nov. 1. Shortly thereafter, CyberSource will provide the Street with updated revenue and net income guidance. The deal is expected to result in cost savings of $4 million to $6 million and will bring along significant customers.

While I've been bullish on CyberSource, I'm now tempering things. After all, the shares have surged a hefty 44% over the past month. So for Foolish investors, it's probably a good idea to wait until CyberSource provides guidance on the Authorize.Net deal and trading activity cools off a bit.

For more Foolishness:

• Investors Decline CyberSource
• CyberSource Gets Small
• CyberSource's Transaction Triumphs