Latest news with #Hardware
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BIO-key International Inc (BKYI) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Revenue Surge and Strategic ...
Revenue: Increased 49% to $1.7 million in Q2 FY25 from $1.1 million in Q2 FY24. Hardware Revenue: Increased by $458,000 due to additional deployment of finger biometric scanners. License Fee Revenue: Increased 4% in Q2 FY25. Service Revenue: Increased 11% due to customer service upgrades. Gross Profit: Increased by $354,000 or 40% to $1.2 million in Q2 FY25. Gross Margin: Declined to 73% in Q2 FY25 from 77% in Q2 FY24. Operating Expenses: Reduced by $217,000 or 8.5% to $2.3 million in Q2 FY25. SG&A Expenses: Reduced by 13.5%. Net Loss: Improved to $1.2 million or $0.20 per share in Q2 FY25 from $1.7 million or $1 per share in Q2 FY24. Current Assets: $4 million as of June 30, 2025, including $2.3 million in cash. Accounts Receivable: Increased 37% to $984,000 in June 2025. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Signs with BKYI. Release Date: August 13, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points BIO-key International Inc (NASDAQ:BKYI) reported a 49% increase in revenue for Q2 2025 compared to the same period last year. The company successfully reduced SG&A expenses by 13.5%, contributing to overall lower operating costs. BIO-key secured a major identity and access management deployment with the National Bank of Mozambique, expanding its presence in the financial sector. The company announced the formation of the BIO-Key Cyber Defense Initiative, aiming to capitalize on increased defense spending in Europe. BIO-key's focus on its own branded solutions in the EMEA region is expected to enhance margins and support growth in the latter half of 2025. Negative Points Despite revenue growth, BIO-key reported a net loss of $1.2 million for Q2 2025, although this was an improvement from the previous year's loss. Gross margin decreased to 73% in Q2 2025 from 77% in Q2 2024, primarily due to a higher proportion of hardware sales, which carry lower margins. The company faces challenges in announcing certain contracts due to confidentiality, potentially affecting investor perception and stock performance. BIO-key's transition away from licensed solutions requires time to rebuild its opportunity pipeline and channel strategy. Increased costs for sales and support teams, as well as R&D investments, may impact the trend of reduced operating expenses. Q & A Highlights Q: With the increased cost for sales and support team on the cyber defense and increased R&D, should we expect the recent trend towards reduced operating expenses to reverse? A: Michael W. DePasquale, Chairman and CEO, explained that the increase in expenses was a temporary blip due to restructuring in sales and timing of events. He expects the expense run rate to stabilize in the third and fourth quarters. Q: Can you provide additional color on what meaningful contract activity in the first half of next year means, particularly in cybersecurity in Europe? A: Michael W. DePasquale stated that they have already closed contracts that they cannot discuss publicly. The market is robust for their specific solutions, and they are the only vendor with a solid biometric attachment for security. They have a formal initiative to pursue this business more aggressively. Q: Have you received income from the contracts you can't mention, or are they scheduled for the first half of next year? A: Michael W. DePasquale confirmed that they have contracts generating revenue in Q3, which will be reflected in the results. These contracts are part of multi-year spending initiatives in the EU and Middle East. Q: Do you expect these contracts to ramp up significantly in the first half of next year to reach break-even? A: Michael W. DePasquale affirmed that they expect significant growth from these contracts. The opportunities and customer base will grow, and the contracts will iterate and expand over time. Q: Can you give an update on Nigeria or Africa? A: Michael W. DePasquale mentioned that they are focusing on supporting core products in Africa, with partners representing them for core technology. They see Africa as an emerging market, particularly in the commercial enterprise sector with biometric solutions. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Billy Gibbons Wraps Up BFG's Run As ZZ Top ‘Elevation' Tour Resumes
(Left to right) Chris Layton, Billy Gibbons and Mike Flanigin perform on stage as Billy Gibbons and ... More The BFG's. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park West in Chicago, IL Since 2015, ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons has embarked upon a unique solo career, using his rare time away from Texas' favorite beer drinkers and hell raisers to explore an array of diverse, often percussion heavy sounds. His 2015 solo debut Perfectamundo found the lauded blues guitarist channeling his childhood studies alongside legendary Puerto Rican songwriter and bandleader Tito Puente as he experimented with an array of Afro-Cuban sounds, with 2018's The Big Bad Blues giving way to Hardware three years later, a more rock leaning affair. With ZZ Top in the midst of their 'Elevation' tour, a run which resumes this Wednesday, March 26 in Tifton, Georgia, Gibbons wrapped up a solo run of the U.S. last month, one which found him backed by The BFG's (featuring Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble on drums and pianist/bassist Mike Flanigin, who tickled the ivories on both Perfectamundo and The Big Bad Blues). Billy Gibbons (left) and Mike Flanigin (right) perform on stage. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park ... More West in Chicago, IL Interestingly enough, Gibbons eschewed almost all of the solo material in Chicago, offering up a blistering set of ZZ Top alongside a handful of well chosen covers on stage at Park West. 'Everybody ready to have a good time tonight?' asked Gibbons rhetorically in his guise as the evening's emcee, setting up an opening jam session between the uber-tight trio. 'Mike Flanigin on the organ!' shouted Gibbons, looking left with a smile at the group's secret weapon. Leaning back and to his right, Gibbons jousted playfully with Flanigin as the pair, clad in matching Nudie suits, made their way through 'Jesus Just Left Chicago,' with Flanigin swaying in time with Gibbons following a shift to the bass out of apt opener 'Waitin' for the Bus.' 'Y'all know I've been waitin' out on that bus,' said Gibbons with a sly smirk. 'Have mercy…' growled the guitarist with a wink. Chris Layton (left) and Billy Gibbons (right) perform on stage. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park ... More West in Chicago, IL Flanigin moved from keys to organ and over to bass repeatedly over the course of about 80 minutes, joining Gibbons on the vocal for 'Gimme All Your Lovin'' before revisiting 1979's Degüello. 'Are we having a good time tonight?' asked Gibbons on stage in Chicago. 'Wowee, that's a happy crowd!' noticed the frontman, assessing a red hot response from the sold out Windy City faithful. 'We are glad to be here. Y'all got a great room here, man!' said Gibbons, shouting out an intimate club with a capacity of just about 1,000, a theater with vaudeville roots dating back to the early 1900s. 'They came out and greeted us and said, 'You can do almost anything you want…'' mused Gibbons of his arrival. 'I said, 'What's the almost?'' he continued, recounting the humorous exchange. 'They said, 'No drinking during the gospel songs.' And I said, 'Well, we ain't doing no gospel songs!'' Billy Gibbons (left) and Mike Flanigin (right) perform on stage. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park ... More West in Chicago, IL With Flanigin on organ they could've - but opted instead for 'Cheap Sunglasses,' with Gibbons, one of rock's most treasured storytellers, waxing philosophic on the concept of the dollar store as he set up the cut. Thanks to Layton, 'Cheap Sunglasses' chugged along like a freight train, with Flanigin pointing directly at the drummer midway through. 'Golly, let's do some blues…' said Gibbons, clearly having fun as the trio put their spin upon Slim Harpo's 'I Got Love if You Want It,' the opening track from his 2015 solo debut. 'I recorded this song… and I think I remember the words,' said the guitarist with a chuckle. Chris Layton (Double Trouble) performs on stage with Billy Gibbons and The BFG's. Saturday, February ... More 1, 2025 at Park West in Chicago, IL Back on organ, Flanigin was a delight on the old school blues track, supplying a danceable groove as Gibbons stared daggers, eventually walking over with a towel to fan the scorching player. 'Blue Jean Blues' followed, with the BFG's moving to a more contemplative tone as Gibbons delivered the song's trademark combination of storytelling and soulful picking during one of the evening's most rewarding stretches of live music. 'I got a confession to make…' sang Gibbons, slowing things down momentarily as the audience quieted down, waiting for the incendiary solo to follow. 'She sure looked good in those blue jeans,' confided the guitarist, leaning back as he began to wail with the crowd exploding in response. Billy Gibbons (left) and Mike Flanigin (right) perform on stage. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park ... More West in Chicago, IL Gibbons, 75, has long regaled audiences with tales of Jimi Hendrix, for whom he opened as singer and guitarist of the Moving Sidewalks prior to forming ZZ Top, with Hendrix famously teaching him how to recreate the legendary opening to 'Foxy Lady.' 'Hendrix came to see Moving Sidewalks…' Gibbons began, explaining how the group worked up a pair of Hendrix classics ('Purple Haze' and 'Foxy Lady') during the set - despite their positioning as his opening act. 'You got a lotta nerve!' he recalled, citing Hendrix's response to the stunt. 'And that's how I became friends with Jimi Hendrix!' said Gibbons, finishing up the story. 'He taught me this one,' continued the guitarist as he offered up the trio's take on 'Foxy Lady,' delivering the uniquely reverberating intro. Flanigin delivered a pulsing bassline as Gibbons crouched down late, shimmying and swaying as he slayed a solo during 'Sharp Dressed Man,' with the Texas trio heading for home on stage in Chicago. (Left to right) Chris Layton, Billy Gibbons and Mike Flanigin perform on stage as Billy Gibbons and ... More The BFG's. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park West in Chicago, IL 'Backstage I said, 'We gotta do that thang…'' said Gibbons with inimitable swagger. 'West Texas town,' he growled as the group closed the main set with 'La Grange.' Back on bass, Flanigin sauntered left, locking in with Layton before returning to center stage where he swayed in sync with Gibbons during a generously elongated middle section of the Tres Hombres classic. Gibbons stopped, stalking the stage while cupping both ears, eating up the applause before kicking back in to close the iconic ZZ Top cut. 'We've done a lot of rock and roll, some blues - now we're gonna do a country song,' said Gibbons to open the encore. 'A little Johnny Cash!' Billy Gibbons (left) and Mike Flanigin (right) perform on stage. Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Park ... More West in Chicago, IL Once again, the power of the Layton/Flanigin rhythm section was on full display throughout the country classic as Gibbons and company returned to the stage. Things turned raucous fast as Gibbons strummed in the intro to 'Brown Sugar.' Flanigin egged on the crowd, who clapped along early, before wrapping up with 'Thunderbird.' 'I said, 'Lock that door! We can't leave yet!'' quipped Billy Gibbons as the evening entered its final moments. 'We're in Chicago!' said the engaging frontman to rapturous applause. 'That's right,' nodded the guitarist in agreement.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top TSX Opportunities for Canadian Investors in 2025
Written by Sneha Nahata at The Motley Fool Canada Canadian investors looking for top TSX opportunities for 2025 could consider adding shares of Celestica (TSX:CLS), Shopify (TSX:SHOP), and Brookfield Asset Management (TSX:BAM). These Canadian stocks have fundamentally strong businesses and are likely to benefit from investments in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, e-commerce penetration, digital shift, and adoption of green energy. Let's take a closer look at each of these stocks. Celestica is a top AI play. The company is benefiting from the surge in AI infrastructure investments by hyperscale customers. Notably, its networking products within its Hardware Platform Services (HPS) business are witnessing unprecedented demand, which is supporting its financials and share price. Celestica's stock has soared approximately 28% year to date and an impressive 235% over the past year. This growth reflects strong demand for its AI platform and promising growth prospects. The company's business momentum shows no signs of slowing down in 2025. The company's Connectivity & Cloud Solutions (CCS) portfolio, especially its data centre hardware business, provides solid growth opportunities. As AI adoption accelerates, demand for high-performance networking infrastructure will likely surge, creating significant opportunities for Celestica's networking business. With AI training costs declining, the need for high-bandwidth, low-latency networking solutions will only increase, positioning Celestica for sustained growth. The company's management remains optimistic about future demand for AI-driven data centre investments and continues to expand Celestica's footprint in this space. Recently, the company secured two major contracts that will enhance its AI system design capabilities and further strengthen its competitive edge. Celestica is well-positioned for continued growth with the acceleration in AI adoption and rising investments in AI infrastructure. Shopify is a top stock to capitalize on the growing penetration of e-commerce within the retail space and the ongoing shift in selling models toward omnichannel platforms. This Canadian tech giant provides a multi-channel commerce platform and is expanding its merchant base, which now includes larger, high-volume global brands. Further, Shopify continues to grow its gross merchandise volume (GMV) and revenue at a solid pace and is focusing on operational efficiency. Its most recent earnings report highlights this momentum, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of at least 25% revenue growth and the sixth straight quarter where GMV expanded by more than 20%. Even more compelling, Shopify has now delivered nine consecutive quarters of positive free cash flow, demonstrating its ability to scale profitably. Looking ahead, Shopify's investments in enterprise solutions, international markets, and offline commerce are opening new revenue streams. Moreover, it is strengthening its position in the B2B sector. These initiatives and the rising adoption of its platform and products position Shopify for sustained long-term growth. Moreover, its efforts to improve efficiency and reduce costs augur well for profitability, which will support its share price. Brookfield Asset Management is another top TSX stock to buy now. This alternative asset management company is poised to deliver strong growth led by its investments in high-growth sectors such as AI infrastructure, nuclear power, and renewable energy. These industries offer a strong foundation for long-term expansion, providing Brookfield with a steady runway for growth over the coming years. Moreover, Brookfield's diverse portfolio and asset-light business model augur well for growth. Additionally, Brookfield's consolidation of its credit division, growing fee-bearing capital, and rising fee-related income add stability and will likely support its long-term growth. It has a strong balance sheet, holds significant cash reserves, and operates without debt. This financial flexibility allows the company to capitalize on new investment opportunities and enhances its shareholder value through consistent dividend payouts. Brookfield aims to double its business over the next five years. This plan includes growing earnings at a double-digit rate. Moreover, it will support higher dividend payments and drive its share price. The post Top TSX Opportunities for Canadian Investors in 2025 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. Before you buy stock in Brookfield Asset Management, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada analyst team just identified what they believe are the Top Stocks for 2025 and Beyond for investors to buy now… and Brookfield Asset Management wasn't one of them. The Top Stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 ... if you invested $1,000 in the 'eBay of Latin America' at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $21,058.57!* Stock Advisor Canada provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month – one from Canada and one from the U.S. The Stock Advisor Canada service has outperformed the return of S&P/TSX Composite Index by 38 percentage points since 2013*. See the Top Stocks * Returns as of 2/20/25 More reading 10 Stocks Every Canadian Should Own in 2024 [PREMIUM PICKS] It's Time to Buy: 1 Canadian Stock That Hasn't Been This Cheap in Years Where to Invest Your $7,000 TFSA Contribution 3 No-Brainer TSX Stocks to Buy With $300 5 Years From Now, You'll Probably Wish You Grabbed These Stocks Subscribe to Motley Fool Canada on YouTube Fool contributor Sneha Nahata has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Shopify. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Asset Management. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
