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TELUS to Acquire Lionbridge AI to Boost ML & AI Capabilities
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TELUS Corporation (TU - Free Report) recently announced that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire Lionbridge AI for approximately $935 million (C$1.2 billion) to augment its AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities as demand for high-quality, multilingual data annotation continues to rise. The transaction is likely to be completed by the end of 2020 subject to the fulfillment of mandatory closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Data annotation refers to the process of labelling data to render it usable for AI applications. Lionbridge AI is reportedly one of only two global data annotation services providers that annotates data in text, images, videos, and audio in more than 300 languages and dialects. It also boasts a proprietary data annotation platform for the development of AI algorithms to power ML (machine learning) for usage in various companies in social media, search, retail and mobile sectors across the globe. With an attractive business model, Lionbridge AI recorded revenues of about C$206 million in 2019, up 29% year over year.
The acquisition is a strategic fit for TELUS as it aims to harness the power of technology to accelerate its digital transformation policy. The buyout will enable the company to expand its global service offerings for higher market penetration in one of the fast growing services in the world. The combined entity will likely encourage the development of next-generation AI and ML systems to better address the evolving customer demands with the coronavirus pandemic stimulating enhanced digitization efforts across the board.
TELUS is poised to benefit from the increasing penetration of smart devices, wireless data services and wireline fiber optic networks. The Canadian telecommunications company expects balanced growth in the wireless and wireline businesses. TELUS has secured new 600 MHz spectrum licenses in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec for a consideration of $931 million. Equating to a national average of 11.3 MHz, these licenses will allow it to provide improved mobile broadband connectivity at a time when the industry is moving from 4G LTE to 5G. The deployment of this latest spectrum is important to TELUS’s 5G growth strategy coupled with better network quality, speed and coverage. The 600 MHz band can travel distances in rural areas and penetrate barriers to better reach in-building locations.
Markedly, TELUS’ 4G LTE network covers 99% of the country’s population and the addition of 600 MHz spectrum will help it increase urban capacity while expanding the rural availability of wireless broadband service. The company is focused on the execution of its strategies along with amplifying efforts for cost efficiency leading to margin-accretive customer growth and investments to support its expansion strategy. With the expansion of the Internet of Things marketplace into Canada, TELUS is focusing on consolidating its foothold in the market. It has introduced the TELUS Global IoT Connectivity platform to deliver seamless connectivity and simplified billing across 200 networks globally, thus supporting the expansion of Canadian business enterprises.
In the next two years, the company aims to offer direct fiber access to 93% of Greater Quebec City and Eastern Quebec residents. The company plans to generate subscriber growth in key growth segments, including wireless, high-speed Internet and TELUS TV. Increasing demand for reliable access and fast-data services are expected to support customer addition. Furthermore, TELUS International and TELUS Health are likely to contribute to the company’s organic and inorganic growth as exemplified by the Lionbridge AI buyout.
The stock has lost 5% in the past year compared with a 22.5% decline for the industry.
Viavi delivered a positive earnings surprise of 17.5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
Altice has a VGM Score of A and has gained 9.9% in the past year.
Knowles has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 10%. It delivered a positive earnings surprise of 12.5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
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TELUS to Acquire Lionbridge AI to Boost ML & AI Capabilities
TELUS Corporation (TU - Free Report) recently announced that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire Lionbridge AI for approximately $935 million (C$1.2 billion) to augment its AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities as demand for high-quality, multilingual data annotation continues to rise. The transaction is likely to be completed by the end of 2020 subject to the fulfillment of mandatory closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Data annotation refers to the process of labelling data to render it usable for AI applications. Lionbridge AI is reportedly one of only two global data annotation services providers that annotates data in text, images, videos, and audio in more than 300 languages and dialects. It also boasts a proprietary data annotation platform for the development of AI algorithms to power ML (machine learning) for usage in various companies in social media, search, retail and mobile sectors across the globe. With an attractive business model, Lionbridge AI recorded revenues of about C$206 million in 2019, up 29% year over year.
The acquisition is a strategic fit for TELUS as it aims to harness the power of technology to accelerate its digital transformation policy. The buyout will enable the company to expand its global service offerings for higher market penetration in one of the fast growing services in the world. The combined entity will likely encourage the development of next-generation AI and ML systems to better address the evolving customer demands with the coronavirus pandemic stimulating enhanced digitization efforts across the board.
TELUS is poised to benefit from the increasing penetration of smart devices, wireless data services and wireline fiber optic networks. The Canadian telecommunications company expects balanced growth in the wireless and wireline businesses. TELUS has secured new 600 MHz spectrum licenses in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec for a consideration of $931 million. Equating to a national average of 11.3 MHz, these licenses will allow it to provide improved mobile broadband connectivity at a time when the industry is moving from 4G LTE to 5G. The deployment of this latest spectrum is important to TELUS’s 5G growth strategy coupled with better network quality, speed and coverage. The 600 MHz band can travel distances in rural areas and penetrate barriers to better reach in-building locations.
Markedly, TELUS’ 4G LTE network covers 99% of the country’s population and the addition of 600 MHz spectrum will help it increase urban capacity while expanding the rural availability of wireless broadband service. The company is focused on the execution of its strategies along with amplifying efforts for cost efficiency leading to margin-accretive customer growth and investments to support its expansion strategy. With the expansion of the Internet of Things marketplace into Canada, TELUS is focusing on consolidating its foothold in the market. It has introduced the TELUS Global IoT Connectivity platform to deliver seamless connectivity and simplified billing across 200 networks globally, thus supporting the expansion of Canadian business enterprises.
In the next two years, the company aims to offer direct fiber access to 93% of Greater Quebec City and Eastern Quebec residents. The company plans to generate subscriber growth in key growth segments, including wireless, high-speed Internet and TELUS TV. Increasing demand for reliable access and fast-data services are expected to support customer addition. Furthermore, TELUS International and TELUS Health are likely to contribute to the company’s organic and inorganic growth as exemplified by the Lionbridge AI buyout.
The stock has lost 5% in the past year compared with a 22.5% decline for the industry.
TELUS currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader industry are Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV - Free Report) , Altice USA, Inc. (ATUS - Free Report) and Knowles Corporation (KN - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Viavi delivered a positive earnings surprise of 17.5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
Altice has a VGM Score of A and has gained 9.9% in the past year.
Knowles has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 10%. It delivered a positive earnings surprise of 12.5%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential
The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.
Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +50%, +83% and +164% in as little as 2 months. The stocks in this report could perform even better.
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