5 Top Data Stocks on the TSX Year-to-date

For many industries, 2017 has been a massive year of growth and for the big data sector, the story is no different. 
Earlier this year, analysts at IDC projected that worldwide revenue for big data and business analytics would total roughly $150 billion in 2017. Looking at the Canadian scale, by 2018 the market is expected to be worth $1.45 billion in Canadian dollars, according to Statista.
With that in mind, there’s no shortage of data stocks for investors to choose from when it comes to the Canadian stock market.  Here, the Investing News Network (INN) profiles the 5 top data stocks on the TSX year-to-date, with market caps of less than $600 million.  All numbers and figures are current as of October 2, 2017 at 4:19 p.m. EST.

Tecsys (TSX:TCS)

Market cap: $205 million; year-to-date gain: 65.64 percent; current share price: $15.67
Last quarter, Tecsys was the first on our top data stocks list and holds the same position this time around as well.
Tecsys has been around for over three decades, and works to provide consulting, education and support services.  More particularly, Tecsys’ solutions range from: supply chain platform, warehouse management, distribution management, and transportation management.
Some of the company’s big news over the quarter include: a partnership with Ryder to help meet the needs of end-to-end supply chains in the healthcare sector, and its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2018, noting a revenue increase of 3 percent from $16.1 million for Q1 2017 to $16.5 million.

Pivot Technology Solutions (TSX:PTG)

Market cap: $105.29 million; year-to-date gain: 52.05 percent; current share price: $2.60
Much like Tecsys, Pivot Technology Solutions made the top data stocks the previous quarter. Here, the company takes the second spot, up from its previously-held third position.
Through its portfolio of companies, Pivot Technology Solutions designs, sells, integrates and supports IT solutions, such as hardware, maintenance, and support.  In addition to that, Pivot Technology Solutions offers services on a global scale through its Pivot Technology Services.
Since the last quarter, Pivot Technology Solutions has not reported a substantial amount of company news. That said, some of its notable announcements include: achieving the Cisco Master Security Specialization in late July; and reporting its second quarter 2017 results, highlighting a 14.8 percent revenue increase to $402.4 million, up from $350.6 million the same quarter from the previous year.

Solium Capital (TSX:SUM)

Market cap: $535.28 million; year-to-date gain: 24.41 percent; current share price: $10.50
Middle of the pack on our top data stocks list is Solium Capital, up from the fifth spot the previous quarter.
Solium Capital offers cloud-based services fr global equity administration, financial reporting and compliance. Through its platforms, Shareworks and Transcentive, the company is able to provide solutions that integrate management of a variety plan types, such as stock options, share units, share application rights, etcetera.
That said, there haven’t been many company news releases since the previous quarter.  Solium’s most recent announcement came in early August when it reported its second quarter financial results. Over the quarter, Solium’s revenue increased 9 percent to $21.6 million in 2017.

Absolute Software (TSX:ABT)

Market cap: $313.67 million; year-to-date gain: 24.61 percent; current share price: $7.95
Next is Absolute Software, a company that develops, markets and supports endpoint security and data risk management solutions to a range of industries, such as commercial, healthcare, education and the government.
In terms of Absolute Software’s products, they include: The Absolute Data & Device Security, and Application Persistence.  Absolute Data & Device Security allows the company’s customers to lock down endpoints, review risks and respond to security threats. The Application Persistence product provides applications with self-healing capabilities.
Over the last quarter, some of Absolute Software’s biggest news includes: the new Absolute 7 platform, announced in early August; and its fiscal 2017 results, noting a five percent year-over-year revenue increase to $23.2 million for Q4 2017.

Vecima Networks (TSX:VCM)

Market cap: $218.65 million; year-to-date gain: 5.74 percent; current share price: $9.77
Closing out the top data stocks list is Vecima Networks. The company provides products to the cable industry and is a  designer and manufacturer in the broadband cable and wireless network sector. More specifically, Vecima’s segments include Video and Broadband, YourLink and Telematics.
At the end of September, Vecima announced its Q4 and fiscal 2017 results, noting that it was a “year of major development” for the company and reached revenue of $71.5 million for the fiscal year.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

**This article is updated each quarter. Please scroll to the top for the most recent information**

It’s nearly impossible to think about the technology sector without including the big data market–and 2017 is poised to be a year of significant growth for this industry. 
Backing that up, a Research and Market report suggests that global spending on big data will climb above $57 billion in 2017, and rising 10 percent on a yearly basis until 2020 to reach $76 billion. In Canada alone, the big data market is projected to be worth $1.45 billion by 2018, according to Statista.
On that note, with rising investments and spending in the big data sector, a number of data stocks are performing well in the first half of 2017.  Here, the Investing News Network (INN) profiles the top data stocks on the TSX year-to-date. The companies listed below have market caps of less than $550 million with data compiled by Google Finance. All numbers and figures are current as of July 4, 2017 at 1:15 p.m. EST.

Tecsys (TSX:TCS)

Market cap: $187.25 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 52.75 percent; current share price: $14.45
First on the top data stocks on the TSX year-to-date is Tecsys, a company that involved in the development, marketing and sale of enterprise-wide supply chain management software for distribution, warehousing, transportation and point-of-use.
Tecsys’ solutions are broken down into four categories: Supply Chain platform is an infrastructure where all of the company’s applications are built, which optimizes business process, helps make decisions, and identify new revenue opportunities, to name a few. Mores specifically, the platform is used in industries such as healthcare, and third party strategies.
The company’s warehouse solution provides  visual-on-voice technology, visual cues to speed up warehouse tasks, bi-directional scalability to a range of business sizes, and secure access, to name a few.  The Tecsys distribution management solution helps businesses with a number of services, including: reduce inventory costs, reach higher service levels, increase customer retention, and produce accurate financial and tax reports in real time. Finally, features of Tecsys’ transportation management solution include: optimized rating, routing manifesting, tracking and post-shipment analysis for small package and LTL shipments; access to enterprise-wide information through web-enabled technology; and control of various warehouses and shipping stations.
Taking all of that into consideration, 2017 has been a busy year for Tecsys: from announcing the ProCheck strategic performance service offering that helps distribution organizations reach their highest returns on supply chain operations; to extending its RFID Kanban replenishment system; to the announcement of a $15 million bought deal financing; to a partnership with Avalon CSC, it’s no wonder Tecsys is first on our top data stocks on the TSX.

Sandvine (TSX:SVC)

Market cap: $533.99 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 51.96 percent; current share price: $4.27
Second on our top data stocks on the TSX year-to-date is Sandvine, who offers a a variety of solutions, such as: business intelligence, traffic optimization, cybersecurity, subscriber engagement, subscriber services and business services.
As such, the company also has a number of products to choose from: from network analytics, network demographics, traffic management, TCP accelerator, network security, outreach, usage management, cloud services policy controller, and traffic steering engine, it’s clear to see that Sandvine is well-versed in a wide range of big data services.
On that note, 2017 . has been a busy year for Sandvine.  From winning a $4 million deal for application-based pricing and business intelligence at Tier 1 Operator; to an expansion deal of roughly $3 million from tIer 1 CALA CSP; to the announcement Sandvine will be acquired by Vector Capital; to the receipt of acquisition proposal from Francisco Partners, it’s no wonder shares of Sandvine have been on the rise–although its time on this list may be limited.

Pivot Technology Solutions (TSX:PTG)

Market cap: $103.18 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 45.03 percent; current share price: $2.48
Middle of the pack on our top data stocks list is Pivot Technology Solutions. The company is focused on acquiring, and integrating technology solution providers, mostly in North America.
Much like the companies listed above, Pivot Technology Solutions has had a lot on the go so far in 2017, most notably in June, such as the launch of a normal course issuer bid.

Absolute Software (TSX:ABT)

Market cap: $291.29 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 18.34 percent; current share price: $7.55
Absolute Software provides development, marketing and support of endpoint security and data risk management to a number of industries, namely: healthcare, education, and the government.
The company’s products include: The Absolute Data & Device Security, and Application Persistence.  Absolute Data & Device Security allows the company’s customers to lock down endpoints, review risks and respond to security threats. The Application Persistence product provides applications with self-healing capabilities.
With that in mind, highlights of Absolute Software’s biggest news in the first half of 2017 include: an update on its security posture dashboard, which eliminates endpoint blind spots; a new endpoint security and compliance capability that helps IT security to better manage and secure Android device and data; and the company’s integration with Microsoft Azure Information Protection.

Solium Capital (TSX:SUM)

Market cap: $487.35 million; year-to-date percentage gain: 15.88 percent; current share price: $9.78
Rounding out the top data stocks on the TSX list is Solium Capital, a company that provides cloud-enabled services for global equity administration, financial report and compliance.
Solium Capital’s platforms include: Shareworks and Transcentive, which are online solutions that integrate managing multiple equity plan types, such as stock options, share units, share appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, and so on.
That said, it’s been a slightly quiet year for the company: in March, Solium Capital opened an office in Germany before announcing the partnership with Nasdaq Private Market. In early May, the company announced that it and UBS Financial Services had entered into an agreement.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.