Dear Jeff: It's tough for a "services" company to have explosive earnings. It's easy for a "products" company because at some point extra products bring a higher margin of profit down to the bottomline. A services company on the otherhand, especially one in a growth mode, such as CMND, needs to add to its cost structure to grow (i.e., more staff). And, in a tight labor market, such as the one we are currently in, costs may be growing faster than service price increases. Now, what was suppose to distinguish CMND from the rest of the services companies, was its India operations (which enjoy a lower cost structure). I guess that's the wild card here. Last quarter, CMND stated that it was not utilizing the India operations at full capacity. That, as you know, led to a breakeven situation. If that capacity issue has been turned around, the earnings number can be met. I say "met" and not exceeded, because others on this board have stated that CMND has continued its hiring here in the U.S. Those costs (and the fact that these service companies have to pay wages first, and get paid 90 days later after services have been rendered), will probably hold back earnings momentum.
Hope that helps. |
