Shuffle Master 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: Today, shares of Shuffle Master (NAS: SHFL) are screaming "winner, winner, chicken dinner!" They're up by as much as 12% after the company reported better than expected earnings last night.

So what: Fourth-quarter revenue totaled $65.8 million, with earnings per share of $0.18. Both figures bested the consensus estimates of $61.9 million in sales and $0.17 per share in profit.

Now what: Shuffle Master CEO Gavin Isaacs called it a "sensational year" that ended with a "blockbuster quarter." He also noted that almost every financial metric that the company uses to gauge performance were record breakers. As the economy slowly recovers, gamblers tend to open their wallets more, and Shuffle Master will be there behind the scenes to profit as an important supplier to the gaming industry.

Interested in more info on Shuffle Master? Add it to your watchlist byclicking here.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorEvan Niuholds no position in any company mentioned.Click hereto see his holdings and a short bio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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