Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of electronic-payment company VeriFone Systems (NYSE: PAY) got crushed today by as much as 14% following an analyst downgrade accompanied by some bearish comments.
So what: Deutsche Bank downgraded VeriFone from hold to sell while lowering its price target from $44 to $40. Deutsche Bank analyst Bryan Keane questioned VeriFone's organic growth estimates, saying its figures are actually inflated through acquisitions that shouldn't be included in organic estimates.
Now what: VeriFone had stated 11.8% organic growth in the first quarter, but Keane believes it was flat in actuality, while the rise of mobile payment processing presents significant risk. In response, VeriFone has issued a statement to defend itself from Deutsche Bank's claims, reiterating that it calculates organic growth using the commonly accepted methodology of excluding revenue from acquisitions until 12 months later. VeriFone is reaffirming its fiscal-year 2012 and long-term organic growth rate expectations of 10% to 15%.
Interested in more info on VeriFone? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.
