Double-Take Software Inc.: Lazard Capital equity analyst Joel Fishbein kept a buy rating and $11 price target on shares of Double-Take Software Inc. (DBTK) on Apr. 12.
On Apr. 12, the maker of software to protect data said it received “indications of interest” to acquire the company.
In a note, Fishbein said that Double-Take's reduced first-quarter view of 1 cent to 2 cents in EPS and $18.8 million to $18.9 million in revenue misses his respective estimates of 4 cents and $21.1 million. The analyst noted that while software licenses were up year-over-year, they didn't rebound as expected.
As for the company's statement that it received indications of takeover interest, Fishbein said he sees an acquisition as very likely. He noted that the data protection market is "ripe for consolidation". Based on the company's market position and
cash flow, the analyst said he thinks Double-Take would most likely command a significant premium to current trading multiples.
MasterCard Inc.: Standard & Poor's equity analyst Zaineb Bokhari lowered a rating on shares of MasterCard Inc. (MA) to hold from buy on Apr. 12. The analyst has a $270 price target on the shares.
On Apr. 12, MasterCard, the second-biggest electronic-payments network after Visa Inc., named Ajay Banga chief executive officer, 10 months after hiring him as a potential successor to Robert W. Selander.
Banga, 50, will take the top position on July 1, the company said in a statement. Selander, 59, will continue as executive vice chairman and a member of the board of directors until he retires on Dec. 31.
In a note, Bokhari said the rating change was based on the stock’s valuation. The analyst noted that Banga has had a "very brief" tenure at MasterCard, joining in August 2009, but served in several senior executive roles at Citigroup Inc. (C), most recently as the head of Citigroup's global consumer group and as CEO of Citi Asia Pacific.
"We expect the transition to be smooth, but at recent levels, see less upside to our $270 target price," Bokhari wrote.
