Security Stocks: Secure Picks for Growth?
Homeland security has been a front-burner issue for six and a half years now. It's been a bonanza for companies involved in protecting Americans from terror and crime, and Brian Ruttenbur indicates there's still a lot of upside.
"We have four companies out there that are growing at 30+ percent internal growth," the Morgan Keegan homeland security analyst told CNBC. "Just about everyone is growing double digits."
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Ruttenbur's first pick among homeland security companies is AuthenTec, a maker of fingerptint-authentication sensors .
"They're growing roughly 45-50 percent a year, and they're going on laptops and cell phones," he said. "You'll see the first cell phones [with fingerprint sensors] in the U.S. this year."
He also likes FLIR Systems.
"It's an infrared camera company, growing dramatically...in the defense side of the business, but as much growth in the non-defense infrared-camera business," he explained.
ICX Technologies makes sensors and surveillance devices.
"I like their broadness, but one of the products that they have is a(n)...explosive-detection product that you're going to start seeing at airports that can pick up trace amounts of explosive very quickly," he said. "They also have ground-based radar, and as we start securing more infrastructure around the nation and abroad, you're going to see (it) pop up more and more."
Another company on his list is L-1 Identity Solutions.
Disclosures:
Ruttenbur's firm has received compensation from ICX Technologies for investment banking services, and has managed or co-managed a public offering of its equity securities during the last 12 months.
A company affiliated with Ruttenbur's firm holds warrants of L-1 Identity Solutions.
