Alterian Share Discussion Threads

[rivaldo] 21/9/2010 14:20

Hi Shuffle Man - that's exactly what I've been saying on this thread for ages. I've no doubt whatsoever that that's what will happen, It's just a question of time, and of ALN continuing to perform well. The recent acquisitions have bulked them up nicely, and if they bed in well then hopefully it'll be off to the races.

The recent takeout price for Unica by IBM implies a price for ALN of around 300p from memory.

[the shuffle man] 21/9/2010 09:01

Seems there is a lot of M&A activity in this sector in the US.

Will Alterian end up being a target for one of the big boys??

[johnroger] 17/9/2010 16:32

Growth Company Investor

Alterian catches the tide

David Eldridge, chief executive officer of specialist marketing technology group Alterian, is not worried about any potential 'double-dip' recession. After a 67 per cent annual profits hike to £6.7 million, he says the acquisitive fully listed company's new engagement management software will maintain its momentum.

Eldridge argues that the new product will provide marketing people and organisations with a 'centralised control area' to hear and watch interactions between client companies and consumers and among consumers 'in real time'.
Alterian, which increased turnover a more modest 14 per cent to £38 million in the year to March, boasts a range of technology – including fast-growing social media monitoring, analysis and content management – and recently launched a new product, 'WebJourney' web behaviour analytics, to help client companies respond to changes in how consumers want to hear their messages.

With customers ranging from Jaguar Land Rover to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the company charges anything from £1,000 to £500,000 a month for its services. Eldridge points out that Alterian has a 60 per cent rate of annual recurring revenues, with nearly two-thirds of revenue now related to digital communications.

Alterian maintains a social media 'warehouse', containing conversations between members of the public, which can be sold to brand managers, explains Eldridge, who comments that 'this is the fastest-growing part of the business'. The group, which spent £5.5 million last year on research and development, is determinedly acquisitive, but, insists Eldridge, has sufficient resources to
pursue this route without going back to shareholders.

He says Alterian is now tapping into opportunities in the USA and South America, after a financial year in which 'strong growth from a small base' in the Asia-Pacific region offset 'difficult trading conditions' in the UK and Europe. The company has increased its sales force in Singapore and Australia.

To the company's target market of corporate marketing chiefs, Eldridge cites one survey suggesting that only 5 per cent of consumers nowadays trust advertising, while 81 per cent see the internet as 'the first port of call' to compare products and services. Last year, Alterian bought New York-based Techrigy in a $5 million (£3.2 million) deal, which brought it a leader in social media monitoring and analytics software, with a successful product, SM2, and a database of conversations from more than 100 million blogs, wikis, microblogs and social networks. More recently, the company bought social media analytics concern Intrepid Consultants for up to $11.5 million.

Alterian is paying an initial $3.5 million in cash and shares at 179.4p for Intrepid, which integrates social media data as 'a core element of mainstream marketing', with offices in Seattle and London and a fast-growing (and inexpensive) analytics team in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Alterian will pay another $7.5 million if Intrepid meets certain revenue targets by 2013, plus $650,000 in bonuses to key people.

John Song, founder and CEO of Intrepid, is among those staying on and suggests that the deal 'will have a positive effect on all Alterian's business lines'. Eldridge agrees, declaring that the current 'explosion of social media' is catching many brands without the in-house skills to use the relevant analytics to their best effect, a gap that analysts believe Alterian is filling by acquiring Intrepid's expertise and resources.

Highlighted by Growth Company Investor at 105p last year, Alterian shares have now reached 189.25p. Despite continuing economic uncertainties in several important markets, the company's strategy should continue to pay off handsomely over the medium term.




Recommendation: Buy
Ticker: ALN
Sector: Software & Computer Services
Listing: Full List
Mid-price: 189.25p
Market cap: £115m

For further news, RNS, charts, financial data and information archives on
Alterian, click here


Best wishes,

James Crux
Editor, magazine

[oakserver] 16/9/2010 22:09

Thanks for the info.

[kimball808] 16/9/2010 16:26

day in day out, there are times where there are two bids that get filled and reloaded constantly for about 5 mins around 182...sure someone is building a sizeable stake here...RNS will reveal all when they have finished..

[rivaldo] 14/9/2010 08:33

Nice start.

[weatherman] 10/9/2010 21:17

Perhaps not.

[weatherman] 08/9/2010 21:18

Will this one pull back to 175p ? It seems to be an historical support level.

[kimball808] 01/9/2010 17:56

We have the Interims in early November, but H1 has previously been pretty weak, with ALN really coming into its own in H2. Yet looking back at the interims, we have been making up lost ground YoY. (Revenue 38% achieved of full year in H1 Sep09, 31% achieved of full year in H1 Sep08, 27% achieved of full year in H1 Sep07) Likewise we have been reporting a loss in the interims but again this has been reducing..could we be in a position to show a profit in Sep10 H1??? But the interims are still a fair way off, so why the sudden interest of late??? I'm not complaining though...

[kimball808] 01/9/2010 14:41

hope it is something else, while the markets have been spooked about the US economy, ALN has been making great headway through July and August.

[yump] 01/9/2010 10:17

Acquisitions don't normally cause an share price spike, even in boom times, so I'm guessing there is something else to it (or something I've missed about the acquistion on first reading).

[kimball808] 01/9/2010 09:16

very happy retract 1392

[bloodhound] 01/9/2010 08:18

Acquisition of Intrepid Consultants:



Looks like a good deal to me!

[kimball808] 31/8/2010 19:37

or even where we are now, around 192ish is where we fell off a cliff back in Dec/Jan...

[yump] 31/8/2010 17:26

Looking unexpectedly interesting. I suspect 200p ish is going to be a mega barrier though.

[stromboli1] 27/8/2010 14:14

Thanks for the updates Rivaldo

[rivaldo] 27/8/2010 13:45

Panmure have been prompted by something to reiterate their Buy recommendation today:



"Panmure Gordon rates shares in Alterian, Computacenter, IMI and Lavendon Group as buys."

[rivaldo] 26/8/2010 13:47

New contract win:



"Erna Low reaches new heights with Alterian's Dynamic Messenger
Thursday, 26 August 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
London, UK – 26 August 2010 – Alterian (LSE: ALN), the leader in customer engagement technology and solutions, today announced that Erna Low, the experts to the Alps since 1932, offering ski holidays and accommodation in Europe and North America, has selected its email marketing platform – Dynamic Messenger to advance their email marketing campaign and improve Open & Click rates.

As the original self-drive ski specialist, Erna Low relies on an efficient email marketing programme in order to inform customers about holiday information such as the latest special offers, new properties and resorts, resort features and the latest snow conditions. Erna Low has teamed up with SPIKE Marketing, who help travel companies increase the revenue they generate through digital channels – particularly by the innovative use of e-CRM.

Spike Marketing will be using Alterian's Dynamic Messenger to develop ROI focused e-programmes for Erna Low that also improves the customer experience. Alterian's Dynamic Messenger enables organisations to create and deliver highly targeted messages with personalised content that enhances the user experience and customer loyalty.

Erna Low are currently using Spike Marketing and Dynamic Messenger for their present 'early booking' campaign and so far have seen a significant increase in bookings. Using Dynamic Messenger to individualise outgoing content and edit unwanted and unnecessary data, resulted in an increased delivery rate and a dramatic reduction in bounced emails. The campaign also achieved an Open & Click rate of 55% and 65% respectively, which are double the previous rates.

David Eldridge, CEO, Alterian notes, "Nowadays customers are only interested in hearing from organisations if they can provide content that is relevant to them. As such, there is a need for strong, targeted campaigns that engage the customer and not just provide mass generic information; something organisations cannot do if they don't have relevant and up to date data. We are pleased to provide Erna Low with an email marketing platform that will not only allow them to truly engage with their customers but allow them to achieve and measure their marketing ROI.

Jane Bolton, Managing Director at Erna Low agrees "We are delighted to have partnered with Alterian and Spike Marketing to offer clients information about our services and holiday offers in a way that is relevant and personalised to them." "

[rivaldo] 25/8/2010 09:43

looks like a positive article on Growth Company Investors - subscribers only I'm afraid:



"Share Recommendations
Alterian 24/08/2010

Specialist marketing technology group Alterian is optimistic for its new engagement management software after a 67% annual profits hoist to £6.7m...."

[rivaldo] 19/8/2010 14:43

:o))

Could break back up to 200p at this rate. Today's rise is particularly encouraging on high volumes with 1.7m shares traded so far already (I wonder if some of the new Techrigy shares have been placed out?).

[kimball808] 18/8/2010 13:13

Yes...been day in day out so far...not complaining...:-) Doh..I'll keep quiet

[rivaldo] 18/8/2010 11:31

Continuing a nice upwards trend.