Cardtronics Shares Popped: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Cardtronics (NAS: CATM) set new 52-week highs today, up by as much as 13%, after the company reported quarterly earnings last night.

So what: The world's largest retail ATM owner put up revenue of $165.1 million and third-quarter earnings per share of $0.39. The market was expecting $159.8 million in sales and earnings of $0.37 per share, allowing Cardtronics to register a top- and bottom-line beat.

Now what: Going forward, Cardtronics issues upbeat guidance for its fiscal 2011, forecasting sales of $615 million to $620 million and earnings between $1.35 and $1.38 per share, beating consensus estimates. Total transactions per ATM rose by 17% while operating gross profit per ATM increased by 9%. The company has been aggressively growing its footprint, adding more than 600 new ATM locations, while also recently acquiring other ATM operators like Access to Money, EDC, and Canadian operator Mr. Cash.

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