Just two weeks ago,
I wrote that Tix Corporation was trading at a considerable
valuation discount to the market given their latest report and
projections.
Today, somebody (or some institution) is apparently agreeing
with that assessment. Tix Corp volume is well over five
times normal levels at mid day and the price has risen 20%.
Even after this rise, given the stated projections for the year by
management, the company is trading at only around 10 times GAAP
earnings based on their latest conference call guidance and around
5 times
adjusted earnings projections.
In my article two weeks ago I complained that the company ought
to provide non-GAAP figures for its shareholders. It's
possible that with today's announcement of a new CFO, Tix Corp
plans to begin providing adjusted figures, which will better
reflect the valuation opportunity. With a strong balance
sheet, positive cash flow, and minimal tax obligations due to past
losses, this company is a strong buy with a market cap that
deserves to be at least double where it is currently trading.
What might be most bizarre about the company is the fact that
its share price was rocked by a large shareholder who had to sell
his shares due to a margin call, according to the company's
CEO. Tix Corp stepped in and bought some of those
shares. But the damage had already been done. Perhaps
even more bizarre is that it has taken this long for a larger
outside buyer to begin to recognize the opportunity. Sure, it
never helps when a company has no sell side analysts, no
significant institutional ownership, and an apparently ineffective
Chief Financial Officer.
All of that is likely to change. Two years of healthy cash
flow and recent acquisitions presents a great long term small cap
value opportunity.