Gee, whata surprise:
Optimal Robotics warns of first-quarter shortfall
MONTREAL, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Optimal Robotics Corp. (NasdaqNM:OPMR - news), a leading provider of retail self-checkout systems, on Tuesday reported lower fourth-quarter earnings and warned that first-quarter 2002 results will fall well below estimates due to weak capital spending.
Excluding a tax liability, the Montreal-based company said earnings for the quarter were $161,162, or 1 cent a share, compared to $217,945, or 1 cent, for the fourth quarter of 2000. Revenue rose to $16.97 million from $12.54 million in the fourth quarter of 2000.
Wall Street analysts on average expected the company to earn 1 cent per share, according to Thomson Financial/First Call.
Optimal, citing continued weakness in capital spending as well as the challenging economic environment, said it anticipates first quarter 2002 revenues in the range of $17 million to 19 million and diluted earnings per share of nil to 1 cent, well below the current First Call estimate if 17 cents a share.
These guys must be buying components for their scanners in US $ and selling the finished units in Canadian $. Under 12 a share, I could get real interested. |
