AuthenTec jazzes the Street

For Corporate America millions are lost because of lost laptops and data breaches (not to mention the reputational damage). But there are companies, such as AuthenTec (NASDAQ: AUTH), which develops security chips for devices and PCs (using fingerprint authentication), that are helping things out.

It's a growth business, and that fact can be seen with the company's Q1 report. Revenues spiked 67% to $15.5 million and gross margins jumped 3.5% to 49.6%. Basically, the company is moving its product mix to premium offerings.

More importantly, AuthenTec continues to be a major innovator in its sector, launching some new products. For example, the company has more than 60 filed and pending US patents.

AuthenTec is also seeking opportunities to purchase innovative technologies. One deal is for EzValidation, which has software for fingerprint authentication. And the price tag was only $250,000.

Going into Q2, the company expects revenues of $17.2 million to $17.8 million and non-GAAP earnings are forecast to range from $0.02 to $0.03 per share.

Based on the results, AuthenTec's shares climbed 12% to $13.50 Tuesday.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook (www.mergerbook.com) and is also a principal in Averiware, which provides an ERP system to small and midsize businesses.