Nuance Communications, Inc. (NUAN)

[eastunder]

Nuance (NUAN) Stock Up Today


BY Tony Owusu | 03/14/14 - 02:51 PM EDT

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12530070/1/nuance-nuan-stock-up-today.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO


NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Nuance Communications (NUAN_) jumped this afternoon, rising 6.6% to $15.94 at 2:25 p.m. EST. The Massachusetts-based software company provides speech and imaging applications and features activist investor Carl Icahn as one of its principal backers.

Oppenheimer maintained its "outperform" rating following the company's 8-K filings yesterday. In the filing Nuance announced that Janet Dillione, head of the company's health care unit, will be stepping down on March 21. The health division realized only 1% year-over-year revenue growth in the fourth quarter and a 7% decline overall. The health care division accounts for 46% of Nuance's revenue and 58% of its operational profit.


Oppenheimer sees the change in management as positive. "Dillione has grown the healthcare business to ~$1B; however, execution has been hard to come by in the previous few quarters. Investors should view this news positively as NUAN has made some management team changes recently (i.e. replacing Bill Nelson with Bill Robbins as head of Worldwide Sales). This announcement should signal to investors that NUAN wants to bring more focus and execution to re-accelerate top-line growth."

Icahn increased his holdings in the company to 60.8 million shares last month and currently holds a 24% stake in the company.



TheStreet Ratings team rates NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS INC as a Hold with a ratings score of C-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

"We rate NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS INC (NUAN) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed ? some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and expanding profit margins. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and weak operating cash flow."

Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:

?Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 10.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 1.7%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.

?NUAN's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91 is somewhat low overall, but it is high when compared to the industry average, implying that the management of the debt levels should be evaluated further. Regardless of the somewhat mixed results with the debt-to-equity ratio, the company's quick ratio of 1.40 is sturdy.

?The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Software industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 150.8% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from -$22.10 million to -$55.41 million.

?Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Software industry and the overall market, NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

[eastunder]

Nuan- Interesting move today

[eastunder]

Watch Out: Barbarians At The Gate For Nuance Communications (NUAN)

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12529804/1/watch-out-barbarians-at-the-gate-for-nuance-communications-nuan.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO


By David Aferiat 03/14/14 - 10:59 AM EDT

Trade-Ideas LLC identified Nuance Communications (NUAN) as a "barbarian at the gate" (strong stocks crossing above resistance with today's range greater than 200%) candidate. In addition to specific proprietary factors, Trade-Ideas identified Nuance Communications as such a stock due to the following factors:

?NUAN has an average dollar-volume (as measured by average daily share volume multiplied by share price) of $50.6 million.

?NUAN has traded 1.8 million shares today.

?NUAN traded in a range 435.6% of the normal price range with a price range of $1.20.

?NUAN traded above its daily resistance level (quality: 50 days, meaning that the stock is crossing a resistance level set by the last 50 calendar days. The resistance price is defined by the Price - $0.01 at the time of the signal).


Stocks matching the 'Barbarian at the Gate' criteria are worthwhile stocks to watch for a variety of factors including historical back testing and volatility. Trade-Ideas targets these opportunities because the stock is exhibiting an unusual behavior while displaying positive price action. In this case, the stock crossed an important inflection point; namely, 'resistance' while at the same time the range of the stock's movement in price is more than twice its normal size. This large range foreshadows a possible continuation as the stock moves higher.


More details on NUAN:

Nuance Communications, Inc. provides voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. Currently there are 2 analysts that rate Nuance Communications a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 9 rate it a hold.

The average volume for Nuance Communications has been 5.1 million shares per day over the past 30 days. Nuance has a market cap of $4.9 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer software & services industry. The stock has a beta of 1.11 and a short float of 11.8% with 9.71 days to cover. Shares are up 1.8% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Friday.

TheStreetRatings.com Analysis:

TheStreet Quant Ratings rates Nuance Communications as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and expanding profit margins. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and weak operating cash flow.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

? Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 10.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 1.7%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.

? NUAN's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91 is somewhat low overall, but it is high when compared to the industry average, implying that the management of the debt levels should be evaluated further. Regardless of the somewhat mixed results with the debt-to-equity ratio, the company's quick ratio of 1.40 is sturdy.

? The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Software industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 150.8% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from -$22.10 million to -$55.41 million.

? Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Software industry and the overall market, NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

[erdos47]

does anyone have a twitter account? tweet to Icahn to quit bothering aapl and fb and get in gear on NUAN. He put his son on the board - their management needs HELP and Icahn could make this triple like he did to HAIN.

[JHOGG]

Is this ever going to turn around?!?!?

[chmcnfunds]

Nuance and Huawei Create Swype Keyboard for Huawei Emotion UI Devices

Unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2014, Swype for Huawei Gives Consumers Incredibly Unique and Powerful Touch Input Experience in More than 70 Languages

BURLINGTON, Mass. & BARCELONA, Feb 26, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN -0.39% today announced the availability of a customized Swype keyboard integrated with Huawei’s flagship Emotion UI device lineup. Available globally, Huawei’s exclusive Swype keyboard experience lets people trace, tap, and write in over 70 languages.

Swype for Huawei was designed with input from Huawei’s Emotion UI experience team to provide Huawei consumers with the fastest and most accurate text input available. Further, Swype for Huawei has a specially designed one-handed input that makes tracing and tapping a breeze with just your thumb. Swype for Huawei’s keyboard even includes an exclusive layout optimized for the Chinese language.

“Huawei Emotion UI is built to evoke a powerful, emotional experience. We worked with Nuance to design an incredibly intuitive and customized Swype keyboard that lets our consumers express what they want, when they want – optimized for our flagship device lineup,” said Jervis Su, vice head of research and development, Huawei Device.

Swype for Huawei brings together the best of both worlds – an optimized experience for Emotion UI and many of the opt-in Swype features that make it the most successful predictive continuous touch keyboard – such as Swype’s connected Living Language, an opt-in based end-user service, that updates top trending words and phrases through global crowd-sourcing. Consumers also have the option to personalize dictionaries and language models directly from Nuance that follow users from device to device with the ability to download more than 70 different languages and dialects—made possible by Nuance Cloud Services .

“Swype was designed to be flexible and customizable for both consumers and OEMs – a combination that takes keyboard personalization to a new level,” said Aaron Sheedy, vice president of mobile devices, Nuance Mobile. “Working with Huawei, we have designed a keyboard for the Emotion UI flagship device lineup that further enhances the speed, accuracy and customization that only Swype can offer.”

Nuance’s portfolio of voice, touch and natural language understanding innovations are creating a more human conversation between people and technology. To learn more, visit www.nuance.com or join the conversation via @NuanceInc or @NuanceMobile on Twitter or via Nuance’s LinkedIn channel .

About Huawei Consumer Business Group

As of the end of 2013, Huawei’s products and services have been deployed in over 170 countries, serving more than one third of the world’s population. Huawei is ranked third in global smartphone shipments in 2013. Huawei has also established more than 16 R&D centers around the world in countries such as the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India, and China. One of Huawei’s three business groups, Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) provides a range of products including mobile phones, mobile broadband (MBB) devices, home devices and cloud services. With more than 20 years of rich business expertise in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, an extensive global network, vast global business operations and partners, experience in the telecommunications, Huawei has established a globalized network, operation ability and working partners. Huawei Consumer BG is dedicated to bringing the latest technology to consumers, offering a world of possibilities and creating extraordinary experiences for people everywhere.

For more information, visit Huawei Consumer BG online: consumer.huawei.com/en/

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN -0.39% is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications. For more information, please visit: www.nuance.com .

Nuance and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance CommunicationsMolly Kelley, 781-565-5218 [e-mail]

Copyright Business Wire 2014
___________________________________-
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nuance-and-huawei-create-swype-keyboard-for-huawei-emotion-ui-devices-2014-02-26?siteid=nbsh

NUAN

[Ray 50]

Yes

[chmcnfunds]

Could Nuance Communications Become A Takeover Target?

Feb. 19, 2014 3:35 AM ET | 2 comments | About: NUAN
Disclosure: I am long AAPL. (More...)

Nuance Communications' (NUAN) shareholders have been in for a rough ride in 2013. Multiple setbacks including profit misses and analyst downgrades have driven shares of Nuance Communications down to the $15 range. At the end of April 2013 Nuance Communications was trading at $23.38. Its stock oscillated from $13.00-23.38 over the last 52-weeks and mostly consolidated in an increasing stock market. On November 25, 2013 Nuance Communications issued a profit warning with respect to full-year earnings as the switch to a subscription-based business model is impacting short-term revenues and earnings. Shares of Nuance Communications quoted at $15.99 on November 25, 2013 but dropped sharply lower to $13.00 the next day: A decline in market capitalization of approximately 19% in just a matter two days.

As a contrarian investor Nuance Communications was another textbook example of emotional investors throwing away their shares and panicking about near-term revenue contraction. Truth be told, I missed the collapse of Nuance Communications at the end of November 2013. Not surprisingly, shares quickly recovered most of their losses as investors successively got over their panic hiccough. I have previously recommended Nuance Communications (here) because the company is a leader in speech recognition and imaging applications and could be bought at the same price it was trading at in 2008 or 2009.

Since my last article about Nuance Communications was published on December 24, 2013, the stock price hardly moved. While the share price shortly rose above the $16 mark, Nuance Communications can still be bought at what I consider to be a bargain price of $15.

(Source: Yahoo Finance)(click link for chart)


First quarter results

On February 10, 2014 Nuance Communications released first quarter results which I were not totally disappointing:

Q1 2014 GAAP revenues were reported at $470.0 million vs. $462.3 million in the year ago quarter (an increase of 2%).
Q1 2014 non-GAAP revenues of $490.1 million compared to $492.4 million in Q1 2013.
Nuance Communications reported strong booking growth of 26% to $637.3 million vs. last year's $504.9 million.
First quarter non-GAAP net income of $76.6 million ($0.24 per diluted share) vs. non-GAAP net income of $113.0 million ($0.35 per diluted share) in Q1 2013.
Nuance Communications repurchased approximately 11 million common shares worth $204 million as of December 31, 2013.
Nuance Communications' Chief Financial Officer Tom Beaudoin commented first quarter results:

We are pleased with our first quarter performance. We delivered strong bookings and exceeded targets for revenue and earnings. Increased deferred revenue and growth in on demand revenue demonstrate continued progress in transitioning our model to recurring revenues. We believe these results, combined with progress toward new solutions and deep customer engagements, are a strong indication that the business is well-positioned for renewed growth and profitability.

Misconceptions

Nuance Communications is a provider of voice and language solutions for enterprises and consumers and has pursued a series of acquisitions to complement its service offering in Healthcare (for instance, the acquisition of Transcend), Mobile & Consumer, Enterprise and Imaging. Top-tier companies such as Nokia (NOK), Samsung (OTC:SSNLF), Volvo (OTCPK:VOLVY), DHL, IKEA, Telefonica (TEF) and others are Nuance's customers and indicate that Nuance's product technology has a high degree of maturity. I currently see two reasons why Nuance Communications trades at just $15 per share and has suspended its recovery rally.

First, Nuance's acquisition strategy has led to negative free cash flows over the years that still make it difficult to forecast a normalized level of capital expenditures. As such, there is still considerable uncertainty with respect to Nuance's recurring cash flow profile and underlying profitability. However, Nuance Communications is a consolidating force in the industry with a desire to penetrate niche markets, and cash flows should markedly increase in the coming years as a result of those transactions.

Secondly, after the company's share price plunged on two occasions in 2013 (see chart above) because of earnings misses, negative expectations are now largely priced into the stock. Ultimately, this benefits Nuance Communications as it will be easier to outperform pessimistic earnings estimates. A potential revenue- and EPS outperformance could could be a powerful catalyst for Nuance's stock.

Conclusion

Nuance Communications still trades relatively cheaply at just twelve times forward earnings which seems low compared to the high valuations usually seen for industry-leading tech companies. I think the company would be well advised to digest its past acquisitions for the moment and concentrate on developing a recurring earnings stream to show investors that the company now indeed can grow organically. Low earnings expectations ultimately will work in favor of Nuance and I would expect that it is now easier for the company to outperform pessimistic analyst expectations. After all, Nuance Communications provides the speech recognition engine for Siri, a digital personal assistant used in Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and iPad products which speaks volumes about Nuance's technology leadership in its software field. Carl Icahn, renowned activist hedge fund investor, reportedly increased its stake in Nuance Communications which only adds to the appeal of a long position in the innovative software maker.

Moreover, Nuance Communications' negative free cash flows and low share price could make the company itself a takeover target. Its leadership position in speech recognition and imaging implications also makes the company highly attractive for strategic buyers aiming to get their hands on industry-leading technology. As potential buyers I could imagine Apple, Microsoft (MSFT), tech-crazy Google (GOOG) or IBM (IBM). Even without a takeover, Nuance Communications has a high standalone value: It has a strong market position in its field and a lot of rebound potential given the over-the-top consolidation in 2013. I hold a price target of $20 on shares of Nuance Communications reflecting about 35% upside potential even without a takeover bid. Contrarian, speculative BUY.
____________________________
http://seekingalpha.com/article/2030081-could-nuance-communications-become-a-takeover-target?source=email_rt_article_readmore&uprof=46

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

FUJITSU TEN Develops English-Version Prototype of "Interactive Voice-Recognition Car Navigation Unit" with Smartphone Linkage

- Exhibited at "The 2014 GSMA Mobile World Congress" -


BARCELONA, Spain & KOBE, Japan, Feb 17, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

FUJITSU TEN LIMITED , developer of the "ECLIPSE" car navigation brand, has developed a prototype model of the English version of the "Interactive Voice-Recognition Car Navigation Unit" that performs searches through connection with the center server by utilizing a specialized smartphone application (voice-recognition agent application).Users can speak using normal natural language and search results are returned vocally, allowing the destination to be set in this manner with no other actions. Users can add conditions while conversing with the unit, which understands the context and updates the search accordingly. Since the information a user wants to know is narrowed down simply by vocal interaction, the need to move one's line of sight to check the screen display is reduced, thereby contributing to safer driving.This prototype will be displayed as a part of the FUJITSU LIMITED booth at the "The 2014 GSMA Mobile World Congress", the world's largest mobile phone-related trade exhibition to be held from February 24 (Mon.) to 27 (Thurs.), 2014, at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain.

A car navigation providing this same type of search by voice interaction has already been released in Japan under the ECLIPSE brand. Through the exhibition of this prototype, FUJITSU TEN is striving to catch up with the needs of global customers, and the company plans to continue to study and develop products aimed at worldwide commercialization while keeping an eye on consumer demand and similar trends.

[Features of the Interactive Voice-Recognition Car Navigation Unit]

[Sample Conversation] D:Driver A:Agent

D: Find me a Italian restaurant around here.A: Here is what I found. There is “XXXX” in 0.3 miles from the current location.D: I've changed my mind. I'll take Spanish instead of that. A: Here is what I found. There is “YYYY” in 1.2 miles from the current location.D: Navigate me.A: Sent destination to Car Navigation.

[Features and Structure of Interactive Search]

By speaking into a specialized car-navigation microphone, users can search for facilities or weather information and receive answers vocally through the car-mounted speakers.All processing required for voice interaction is performed at the center server in order to provide the following features.

Voice recognition, meaning understanding, and speech synthesis analysis use an external platform.

[ About FUJITSU TEN ] FUJITSU TEN LIMITED, established with investment from FUJITSU LIMITED, Toyota Motor Corporation and DENSO Corporation, is a leading manufacturer of automotive electronic equipment. It is a globally-recognized manufacturer of car navigation and audio systems, ECU (electronic control units) for control of engines, motors, and airbags of hybrid vehicles, and mobile communication systems. FUJITSU TEN is involved in the development of systems that use sensor technologies such as cameras and millimeter wave radar to detect obstacles near automobiles. It is using these products to fulfill orders for genuine products for Toyota and other automobile manufactures both domestically and overseas. Through the fusion of our excellent on-board technology, the great strength of FUJITSU TEN, with the ICT technology of the FUJITSU Group, we will continue to contribute to the formation of a free and comfortable mobility society where people and vehicles, and society and vehicles are connected.

[ About Nuance Communications ] Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN +0.61% is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications.

[ About iNAGO ] iNAGO is a leader in Human-Computer Interaction solutions. Powered by its unique platform, netpeople, iNAGO brings a natural user experience to technology. netpeople enables human-like conversation and interaction with patent-pending Goal-Oriented technology, together with advanced technologies for Context-Aware Natural Language Understanding. When you interact with netpeople, it knows how to ask the right questions at the right time to get you to your goal.

Through netpeople, iNAGO is changing what's possible today in the car, mobile, home, business and beyond while creating endless potential for tomorrow.

[ About FUJITSU ] FUJITSU is a comprehensive manufacturer in the ICT field that performs everything from development, manufacture and sales to maintenance and operation of leading-edge, high-performance, and high-quality products and electronic devices. The company is providing new value in various manners, such as through its SPATIOWL service, a telematics service that provides a voice processing service necessary for hands/eyes-free operation, and utilizes a large amount of positional data collected from probe data(*2) of moving vehicles, data of persons and buildings, sensor data, Internet data and similar data to function as a traffic information service that generates and provides traffic information.

[ About ANIMO ] Since its foundation in August 1994, ANIMO has developed software and services with a consistent focus on "sound and speech" as key technologies, following the corporate motto "speech technologies for a more vibrant society".In addition to sound and speech software and middleware for embedded devices, intelligent devices such as smartphones, electric appliances, disaster-prevention information systems, and several systems for private and professional use, we offer a large variety of speech processing services fit for the cloud computing age.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140217005207/en/

SOURCE: FUJITSU TEN LIMITED

[Inquiries from the press] FUJITSU TEN LIMITEDHiroto Sagara, [phone]Corporate Communications Dept. [e-mail]

Copyright Business Wire 2014
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http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fujitsu-ten-develops-english-version-prototype-of-interactive-voice-recognition-car-navigation-unit-with-smartphone-linkage-2014-02-17?siteid=nbsh

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

After close. Icahn reports "slight" increase in Nuance.

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

Disappointment -- from the high of the day at $14.97 to almost the low at $14.81. No one wanting to buy Nuance. Thought with the 13F deadline today there might be speculation re: who was adding Nuance.

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

Nuance looking to break through $15.00. Break through and could see a nice little pop.

Intra-day:



NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

Nuance Communications’s “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Oppenheimer (NUAN)

Posted by Joseph Griffin on Feb 12th, 2014 // No Comments

Oppenheimer reissued their outperform rating on shares of Nuance Communications (NASDAQ:NUAN) in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Analyst Ratings Network reports.

In other Nuance Communications news, VP Thomas Beaudoin sold 5,000 shares of Nuance Communications stock on the open market in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.31, for a total transaction of $76,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 510,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,816,827. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.
Nuance Communications (NASDAQ:NUAN) traded down 0.13% on Tuesday, hitting $14.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,135,358 shares.

Nuance Communications has a 52 week low of $13.00 and a 52 week high of $23.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.24 and its 200-day moving average is $16.82. The company’s market cap is $4.707 billion. Nuance Communications also was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 14,375 call options on the company. This is an increase of 238% compared to the average volume of 4,250 call options.

Nuance Communications (NASDAQ:NUAN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $472.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $489.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Nuance Communications will post $1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at Zacks upgraded shares of Nuance Communications from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. They now have a $16.70 price target on the stock. Separately, analysts at Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating on shares of Nuance Communications in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, analysts at Standpoint Research initiated coverage on shares of Nuance Communications in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. They set a buy rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $18.73.

Nuance Communications, Inc is a provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers globally.
______________________________________
http://tickerreport.com/banking-finance/132159/nuance-communicationss-outperform-rating-reaffirmed-at-oppenheimer-nuan/

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

U.S. Bank Expands Mobile App Pilot Using Voice Biometrics to Access Credit Card Account

Date : 02/12/2014 @ 10:00AM
Source : Business Wire

U.S. Bank employees are piloting software that lets customers speak a simple passphrase, such as “my voice is my password” to access a credit card account on a mobile device. The feature – called voice biometrics – allows select credit card customers to use their voice to login with a spoken passphrase so they can access their account balances, search transactions and make a payment on their account in the mobile app.

The next-generation voice biometrics solution, from Nuance Communications, addresses growing consumer dissatisfaction with PINs, passwords, and security questions, while maintaining the integrity of a secure system. With just a simple spoken passphrase, voice biometrics allows consumers to be securely authenticated when they connect with a service provider via a call center or IVR, a mobile app, or the Web, improving the overall service experience for the consumer, and delivering substantial time and cost savings to the enterprise.

“Voice biometrics is a unique identifier that will help us improve the customer experience,” said Dominic Venturo, chief innovation officer for U.S. Bank Payment Services. “Customers are becoming accustomed to using their voice to interact with their smartphones and can become frustrated with key entering passwords. Exploring a spoken passphrase login through this technology is a logical next step in our work in biometrics.”

“We’ve seen unprecedented growth in the adoption of voice biometrics as consumers worldwide have become used to more conversational engagement with their devices, apps and service experiences,” said Robert Weideman, executive vice president and general manager of the Nuance Enterprise Division. “Innovative organizations like U.S. Bank recognize that voice biometrics can bring a new level of convenience and security to the customer service experience. By eliminating the interrogation process that consumers are typically put through and replacing it with a natural, conversational voice interaction, companies can really start to reinvent their customer service experience.”

This latest pilot expands the work U.S. Bank and Nuance began in April, in which voice recognition was used for conducting basic functions, such as to view account balances, search transactions and make a payment on their accounts.

About Nuance Communications, Inc
Nuance (NASDAQ: NUAN) is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.

About U.S. Bank
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $364 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2013, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 5th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,081 banking offices in 25 states and 4,906 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.

U.S. Bank Public Relations
Teri Charest, 612-303-0732
[e-mail]
______________________

NUAN

[eastunder]

NUAN: Q1 Adj EPS 24c vs 35c Beats 21c Est

Monday , February 10, 2014 16:17ET

http://www.knobias.com/story.htm?eid=3.1.127e1b3cb3495b50345690b78babc6cfda5cc2db4d0bd2e01f0accd031c56e17


QUARTER RESULTS
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NUAN) reported Q1 results ended December 2013. Q1 Revenues were $469.98M; +1.67% vs yr-ago; MISSING revenue consensus by -3.13%. Q1 EPS was (18c). Adjusted Q1 EPS was 24c; -31.43% vs yr-ago; BEATING earnings consensus by +14.29%.

Q1 RESULTS      Reported      Year-Ago     Y/Y Chg      Estimate    SURPRISE 
 ----------  ------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ---------- 
 Revenues:       $469.98M      $462.27M      +1.67%      $485.15M      -3.13% 
 ----------  ------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ---------- 
 EPS:               (18c)           N/A         N/A           N/A         N/A 
 Adj EPS:             24c           35c     -31.43%           21c     +14.29% 
 ----------  ------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ----------

[eastunder]

Nuance Falls 5%: Bulls Urge Patience for ‘Transition’; Bears Wonder What’s the Driver


By Tiernan Ray

http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2014/02/11/nuance-falls-5-bulls-urge-patience-for-transition-bears-wonder-whats-the-driver/?mod=yahoobarrons&ru=yahoo

Shares of Nuance Communications (NUAN) are down 73 cents, or almost 5%, at $15.03, extending last night’s after-hours losses, after the company yesterday afternoon beat fiscal Q1 expectations, but projected this quarter’s results a bit below consensus.

There don’t appear to be any ratings changes on the stock today, and price targets seem to be staying pretty much in place.

The discussion today is dominated by talk of “transition” — the company transitioning from its prior growth driver, mobile, to newer areas of opportunity, such as healthcare and automotive applications. But there’s also the transition in the company’s revenue recognition, from license to “on-demand” revenue, which has limited the immediate growth in the top line.

There’s considerable frustration among the few bulls on the name today, and general reluctance of bears to move much from their existing positions.

Bullish!

Richard Davis, Canaccord Genuity: Reiterates a Buy rating and a $22 price target, and cuts his year EPS to $1.06 from $1.08, on unchanged revenue of $2.05 billion. “Bookings growth of 26% is a fairly reliable precursor to a return to growth, as Nuance works its way through business model shifts in the Healthcare and Mobile & Consumer segments […] The firm is absolutely in transition, and the resulting income statement at best is pretty ugly. For example, you can hardly call a 16% organic mobile decline an amazing win following two preceding quarters in which year-over-year revenues declined 19% and 24% […] As much fun as it is to wallow in past middling execution, it is my experience that stocks eventually start to reflect expected future performance. You could argue that Nuance’s past implies poor future prospects. However, if you’ve hung around this company for long enough, you know that many of the assets acquired and integrated are truly valuable properties. Are there clinkers in the 50-odd purchases over a decade that we discussed in a past report? You bet. But we push back strenuously against those who assert that Nuance has failed to assemble a substantial, and as we believe, valuable franchise.”

John Bright, Avondale Partners: Reiterates a Market Outperform rating, and a $20 price target, and leaves unchanged his estimates for $2.068 billion in revenue and $1.14 per share this year. “The beat was driven by growth in on-demand (up ~13% y/y) and Healthcare (up ~4%), specifically Enterprise on-demand, Dragon Medical and Healthcare on-demand offerings, offset by weaker performance in Dragon consumer, Enterprise licenses (down ~8%), and Mobile solutions (down ~16%). Better than expected quarterly bookings of $637m (up ~26% y/y) benefited from year-end seasonality, renewals with several key Enterprise on-demand customers (one earlier than anticipated) and significant bookings in both Healthcare (Veterans’ Administration) and Automotive (GM) […] FY14 remains a transition year, as NUAN undergoes a transition from on-premise, perpetual license solutions to cloud-based, connected solutions and to recurring revenue models. Additionally, investments in R&D will result in lower margins initially, as NUAN plans to extend its virtual assistants capabilities, but are expected to reverse in 2H15 and C16.”

Nandan Amladi, Deutsche Bank: Reiterates a Buy rating, and a $24 price target, and maintains his estimates for $2.067 billion and $1.13 per share this year.. “We see the company’s transition to recurring revenue proceeding well, although limited metrics have continued to frustrate investors [...] On-demand rev in 1Q14 grew to 35% of total from 32% for FY13, as the company commented on a greater share of product rev being sold under a ‘term-based, subscription and transactional pricing model.’ Transcription line volumes were down a modest 1% y/y and flat q/q, but NUAN appears to be gaining share from its main competitor, even as line volumes gradually migrate to EMR-attached deployments. Overall bookings growth in the quarter was 26%, benefiting from one-time items, but still well ahead of the 15% target the company set out at the beginning of FY14 [...] shareholder meeting has passed uneventfully, as we expected. About $296m of the $500m buyback authorization remains to be deployed, and after a relatively light purchase cycle in the December quarter and an average price so far of $18.57, we should see more active buying in the months ahead. We remind investors that Mr. Icahn’s firm has two seats on NUAN’s board already and the activist agenda will more likely be conducted through private board deliberations. The appointment of the new head of sales announced in January may have been one of these changes.”

Shaul Eyal, Oppenheimer & Co.: Reiterates an Outperform rating, and a $22 price target, and trims his 2014 revenue estimate to $2.06 billion from $2.07 billion, while maintaining an EPS estimate of $1.12. “Results were solid despite the ongoing shift to cloud connected solutions from pre-installed apps. We continue to believe NUAN is delivering in- demand solutions and believe it is just a matter of time before Icahn demands to unlock more value.[...] NUAN’s billings and deferred revenue continued to grow which is a positive sign of gradual stabilization. We believe a bottom has been reached in terms of the fundamental business and from now on it is up to management to show further financial discipline and business improvement. At the time we await Icahn to show his cards as he is no longer prohibited from soliciting proxies.”

Bearish!

Tavis McCourt, Raymond James: Reiterates a Market Perform rating, projecting full-year EPS of $1.14 unchanged, on revenue of $2.05 billion, down slightly from $2.057 billion. “Bookings growth was impressive at +26% y/y, due largely to strong demand in the automotive, health care and enterprise end markets. Nuance continues to experience declining revenues on an organic basis as its business shifts to more recurring revenue and away from license revenue […] Not too long ago the explosion of smartphones and use of voice recognition was expected to be an enormous growth opportunity for Nuance and its speech recognition software. Unfortunately, changes in industry dynamics have impacted this opportunity. Meanwhile, the connected car seems to be the next growth opportunity focus as the auto end market is now roughly the same size as the smartphone end market for Nuance, with far better top line trends.”

Scott Zeller, Needham & Co.: Reiterates a Hold rating, and slightly trims this year’s projection for revenue to $2.056 billion from $2.058 billion, while raising his EPS estimate to $1.09 form $1.07. “The full quarterly results discussion offered few new insights on when NUAN would return to sustainable growth in license revenue; the multi-quarter transition of perpetual license to cloud-services revenue continues to negatively impact license revenue and margins. We believe the NUAN portfolio of four business lines lacks a clear growth driver (previously it had been mobile), and as such we do not anticipate a singular growth driver in FY14, but instead anticipate a gradual stabilization of revenues and gross margins.”

Gray Powell, Wells Fargo: Reiterates a Market Perform rating, and a $15 to $16 “valuation range.” He reduces his year estimate to $2.054 billion from $2.045 billion in revenue, while raising his EPS estimate to $1.11 from $1.08 previously. “NUAN reported solid FQ1 results that were in-line with its positive preview. We note that after a series of earnings misses, the results represent a step in the right direction for NUAN […] But we stress that NUAN’s business is still in a state of transition on multiple fronts as healthcare shifts to a lower margin on demand business model and the adoption of EHR cannibalizes traditional transcription services while growth in mobile and consumer slows due to pricing pressure from handset vendors […] NUAN is continuing to see a shift towards on-demand and ratable pricing models which is pressuring license revenue–down from 47% in FY2011 to 42% in FY2013 and 39% in F1Q. NUAN is seeing pricing pressure from handset OEM’s both big and small and EHR erosion in healthcare business.”

Daniel Ives, FBR Capital Markets: Reiterates a Market Perform rating, and an $18 price target, and leaves unchanged his revenue estimate this year of $2.06 billion, while raising his EPS estimate to $1.12 from $1.08. “Overall, these results and the addition of the new head of sales (Bill Robbins) should help restore some fundamental credibility to the Nuance story, in our view, as the company looks to reaccelerate organic growth over the next year […] The mobile and consumer segment posted revenue of $115.3 million, down from $120.3 million in the prior quarter and from $131.7 million in the year-ago period. Organically speaking, the segment declined 16% year over year versus a 24% year-over-year decline in the prior quarter and 19% year-over-year growth in F1Q13, as the company experienced a continued shift to on- demand revenue with lower sales of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking consumer product, while demand for Nuance’s automotive solutions helped drive bookings strength. While organic mobile declines continued in F1Q, we note that management indicated that the mobile and consumer segment’s revenue is poised to return to growth in FY15 and beyond as on-demand and automotive solutions contribute to strength.

[chmcnfunds]

Back in Nuance. Seems to have found a base. So far Analysts have not been punishing:

Consensus Ratings for Nuance Communications (NASDAQ:NUAN)
Ratings Breakdown: 7 Hold Rating(s), 6 Buy Rating(s)
Consensus Rating: Hold (Score: 2.46)
Consensus Price Target: $18.73 (18.81% upside)
Analysts' Ratings History for Nuance Communications (NASDAQ:NUAN)
Show:
Date Firm Action Rating Price Target Details Share
2/11/2014 UBS AG Reiterated Rating Neutral $17.00
2/11/2014 Oppenheimer Reiterated Rating Outperform
_________________________________
http://www.analystratings.net/stocks/NASDAQ/NUAN/

Reportedly Canaccord posted a Buy and PT of $22.00

NUAN

[expediter13]

Just not really worth talking about. Nothing happening except floating in this area...

[choking-dog]

What? Does no one follow this stock anymore?

[eastunder]

Nuance Expected To Get More Heat From Icahn

By REINHARDT KRAUSE, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY


Posted 1/22/14 01:17 PM ET

Nuance Communications' (NUAN) stock rose Wednesday after the speech-recognition software maker late Tuesday preannounced better-than-expected results for the December quarter and the hiring of a new head of worldwide sales.

Nuance stock was up 8.5% in early afternoon trading in the stock market today, at a two-month high near 16.15.

Activist investor Carl Icahn has acquired a 17% stake in Nuance. But even with today's gain, Nuance's stock is down 18% since Icahn disclosed his stake on April 1, 2013.

"We continue to expect Carl Icahn to put more heat in Nuance management's kitchen in terms of enhancing shareholder value with the annual stockholder meeting right around the corner (Feb. 3)," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, in a research report Wednesday. "Although this is a step in the right direction, we continue to believe Nuance has a lot more wood to chop ahead with cost-cutting, potential divestitures, and strategic changes on the mobile front possibly in the cards."

Icahn disclosed Wednesday that he has bought $500 million more shares in Apple (AAPL), bringing his investment in that company to more than $3 billion, as Reuters reported. Icahn has pushed Apple CEO Tim Cook to return more cash to shareholders. Apple's shares have gained 12% since Icahn revealed his stake in August.

Burlington, Mass.-based Nuance is slated to report results for its fiscal Q1 ended Dec. 31 on Feb. 10. Nuance now says it expects EPS of 23 cents to 24 cents with revenue of $487 million and $491 million. Its prior guidance was EPS of 18-21 cents on revenue of $477 million to $487 million.

Nuance "starting fiscal 2014 with a solid beat will begin to restore confidence and credibility," said John Bright, an analyst at Avondale Partners, in a report.


Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/technology/012214-687175-nuance-stock-gains-on-december-quarter-results.htm#ixzz2rA0Wuf8Z
Follow us: @IBDinvestors on Twitter | InvestorsBusinessDaily on Facebook

[wallst-winest]

I would be taking a little off the table here. Today's move brings the stock back to prior before they disappointed,

[lakingsphan0427]

NUAN early mover.. Up over 7% premarket.. bout time..

[wallst-winest]

Nuance up in AH on stronger guidance

[chmcnfunds]

Study Shows 71% of Physicians Would Be More Responsive to CDI Processes Integrated Real-Time within their EHR Workflow

Findings Show Physicians Value Clinical Documentation Improvement Clarifications if Presented in Real-Time within their Documentation Systems

BURLINGTON, Mass., Jan 21, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Physicians today are under increasing pressure to produce more accurate, complete and compliant clinical documentation while trying to maintain a focus on patient care and satisfaction. In an effort to learn more about potential solutions that can alleviate physician frustrations with the clinical documentation process, Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN -1.77% today shared findings from a recent study of physician attitudes toward clinical documentation technology and processes.

This study found a wide majority of practicing physicians (71%) report they would be more responsive to Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) clarifications if these were delivered in real-time within their normal documentation workflow in the electronic health record (EHR). Additionally, more than 80 percent of physicians say it is disruptive and time consuming when queries for information occur after they’ve documented in a patient chart or worse, after the patient is discharged. All believe that ICD-10 will make matters much worse.

The survey of more than 187 practicing physicians in midsize or large practices and hospitals found that a majority of U.S. physicians:

“This study pinpoints physicians’ growing dissatisfaction in being saddled with processes that distract them from clinical care, while being excluded from the decision-making process of choosing things that impact them every day,” explains Janet Dillione, executive vice president and general manager, Nuance Communications. “Technology should be simple and work for physicians – not the other way around. Through a more natural approach to creating clinically-accurate information, everyone wins – the physician, the institution and most importantly, the patient.”

Alleviating Documentation Pressure

Technology and process improvements can help reduce physician frustration and support quality patient care by ensuring clinical information is complete and compliant from the start to eliminate rework. “Rework in clinical documentation tells us by its nature that errors in the clinical record were significant enough to impact coding, which means that they are also significant enough to impact patient care,” says Dr. Paul Weygandt, M.D. vice president of physician services at Nuance.

Nuance has reinvented the CDI process with Clintegrity 360 | Computer-Assisted Physician Documentation (CAPD) , an intelligent system designed by physicians for physicians to minimize workflow disruptions and frustrations, while simultaneously improving the integrity of clinical documentation. CAPD arms physicians at the point of care with clinically-focused CDI content to help them improve the quality of patient charts while they are creating patient documentation interactively providing physicians with clarifying queries when necessary, whether for clinical accuracy or ICD-10 compliance.

For a summary of Nuance’s research on physician attitudes towards clinical documentation and technology, visit http://www.nuance.com/ucmct/groups/healthcare .

Connect with Nuance on social media through the healthcare blog, What’s next , as well as Twitter and Facebook .

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN -1.77% is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications. For more information, please visit: http://www.nuance.com .

Nuance and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

The statements in this press release relating to future plans, events or services, are forward-looking statements which are subject to specific risks and uncertainties. There are a number of factors which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including fluctuations in demand for the Nuance products, and the continued development of Nuance products. The reader is warned not to rely on these forward-looking statements without reservation, since these are simply reflections of the current situation. Nuance disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140121005194/en/

SOURCE: Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance Communications, Inc. Ann Joyal, 781-565-4155 [e-mail]

Copyright Business Wire 2014
______________________________

NUAN

[north40000]

I hope to follow Icahn who purchased large position after my 1st purchase, but before my 2nd purchase at lower price than he. He has added since at these lower prices. In a sense, I have both led and followed the money.

[wallst-winest]

Agreed but the final point is: we talking about apples and oranges now. My point was that we can hardily catch the big guys and you are claiming that you initiate prior to the big guys talking a position. That is leading not following or catching... Good for you if you can do that. It is the same for me. I seek out companies that have little following and take large positions hoping for the institutional/ activist buying...glty

[north40000]

No reason for us to argue. My first position in NUAN was in Jan. 2012 at a price greater than the widely assumed price Icahn is thought to have paid for his initial purchase @ ~ $19/share, and well before I knew Icahn may even have been thinking of establishing a position. My 2nd purchase was in 11/2013 @ price on which I am now even. I am seriously contemplating adding further at current prices to reduce my basis. Let us see what Icahn will do for us in the future, eh?

I like to think I develop positions in specific stocks before institutions or activist shareholders do. Take a look at some of "my stocks" set forth in my profile. I certainly was in IMCL well before Icahn was and became an activist---he did help increase the ultimate share price I received when as BOD Chairman, he and other BOD members rejected BMY's offer as too low and accepted LLY's offer that was ~$10/share higher.

I doubt many institutions in GILD today were there in June 1996 when I purchased my current position @ a split-adjusted $0.758/share. GILD closed today @ $77.90.

[wallst-winest]

You can follow them but you will never catch them, thats the take away. Its not impossible to actually make money following them but you have to realize that just because they make money doesn't mean you will. See what the study shows is that we don't know their entry points and exist points until they liquidate. Also they often receive things we don't because we don't have as much skin in the game or for that matter are not as influential. I'm sure at Carls level he is receiving benefits we don't. Its not as simple as "share for share". I have tracked institutions for years and we could fairly accurately determine what their entry points were (vwaps) so we would know when they might sell. I worked for a WS firm... Carls best trade was NFLX in 2013 but other than that he didn't make much waves for the year in terms of activism. Maybe I missed one?

[expediter13]

If tere is a great probability of failure why would we need to follow um (as you wrote). Did you mean we need to NOT follow them ?

I would guess to say you are right, but what is in the past does not mean the future. Up until 2007 all I heard from institutions was : If you invested in the S&P 500 or the stock exchange, etc. you would have made "X" % EACH YEAR. tHAT ALL WENT BY THE WAYSIDE IN 2008.

Everything changes and these big investors have learned how to move a company without a takeover. In the 80s -90s it was swoop in, offer money, force out, liqudate. Now it is swoop in, force out the top people, make changes, pump it, and selll your shares. All can be done without too much work. Guys like Romney are not around as much anymore.

[wallst-winest]

My first advice to you would be to read the posts and try to understand them before you misquote people. Not a fan of that stuff. What I said word for word was "studies show that following the institutions and activist shareholders has a greater probability of failure". The term "failure" was in reference to shareholders and not the activist.

[north40000]

I would enjoy watching you tell that to Icahn face-to-face:

"...activist shareholders has[have] a greater probability of failure."

[wallst-winest]

We don't need to catch em, we need to follow em... And thats now easy I can tell you from years of exp. studies show that following the institutions and activist shareholders has a greater probability of failure.

[expediter13]

Difference between Icahn and Us is big.

Granted, he will do something to change things, and may take up to a year to do it. Problem is both he and I pay 1000 for the same TV. In the end, a year later, I may double my position of $10,000.00 and he may double his.... Big difference

And if he gets out at 10% gain of a 1B dollar invesment look at what he makes... Just can't ever catch the big boys... Even the ones in the middle... It takes years...

[chmcnfunds]

Nuance (NUAN) Has Numerous Near-Term Catalysts, Oppenheimer Says

Oppenheimer analyst Shaul Eyal reiterated an Outperform rating and $22 price target on Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN) saying he expects a number of near-term catalysts could impact NUAN's shares over the next 3 - 4 weeks.

Eyal highlights: "1.) GOOG's upcoming results on 1/30 could shed light on the competitive landscape and changing market dynamics. Last quarter, GOOG's 3Q commentary sparked selling in NUAN shares; this quarter we view it as already baked into the story; 2.) February 4th--NUAN's Annual Shareholder Meeting after which activist investor Icahn is no longer prohibited from soliciting proxies and showing his cards. Despite poor share performance in 2013 (-32% vs. Nasdaq's 38%) we believe 2014 could be a year in which value could be unlocked as: 1.) We envision no further EPS cuts; and 2.) activist could move aggressively."

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Nuance Communications, click here. For more ratings news on the Company, click here.

Nuance Communications closed at $14.82 yesterday, with a 52 week range of $13.00 - $24.85.
______________________________
http://www.streetinsider.com/Analyst+Comments/Nuance+(NUAN)+Has+Numerous+Near-Term+Catalysts,+Oppenheimer+Says/9056839.html

NUAN

[wallst-winest]

Come on Icahn - getting tired of waiting for u on this once since early last year...

[chmcnfunds]

Apple's recent news should help here:

"'Over a million iPhone 5Ss shipped to China Mobile' ahead of launch
Over a million iPhones have reportedly been shipped to China Mobile, signaling strong demand for the device"

Nuance product on each.

NUAN

[nimbustux]

chmcnfunds,

One thing that benefits investors of Nuance is Ichan. He will make changes that are needed in this company splitting up some of the business will the SP. Ichan will not wait too much longer
and some of the business plan is really a plus. Well time will tell.

GLTA

[chmcnfunds]

nimbustux, no quarrel from me. Not only can you question his business strategies but he is about the highest paid executive relative to the company value. I've seen several polls where he is among the top time worst executives. Article sums it up: http://www.thestreet.com/story/12043113/1/its-time-for-nuances-paul-ricci-to-go-opinion.html

The pps would make a big pop if he announced retirement.

I bought in a couple of months ago when the chart looked promising and Icahn was buying big. Overall market has since gone higher and NUAN lower. Trying to decide what to do prior to the shareholder's meeting and quarterly. What you thinking?

Chart is now looking bad (I'd never initiate a position based on it) so I suppose I should sell:



NUAN

[nimbustux]

chmcnfunds

This has to be close to the worst run company in the universe. This guy put this company in a hole, continue to purchase expensive technology. Icahn needs to make a move on this company soon IMO.

GLTA

[chmcnfunds]

ZTE Unveils Next-Generation Car Mode Application and Voice Biometrics at CES 2014

ZTE Enhances its Hands-free Experience with Nuance's Voice Biometrics for Quick and Simple Phone Unlocking; New Voice-Enabled Navigation and Music Barge-In Announced

BURLINGTON, Mass. & LAS VEGAS, Jan 08, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN +0.43% and ZTE Corporation today announced an all new ZTE Car Mode application for ZTE Android devices at CES 2014 in Las Vegas - a result of the two companies' collaboration to bring advanced voice applications to ZTE Android devices worldwide.

ZTE has already integrated Nuance's powerful voice recognition technology to create an eyes-free, hands-free mobile app experience for drivers that is accessible from their ZTE smartphone. Now, ZTE is integrating Nuance's voice biometrics technology for screen unlock. With each different user's voiceprint, ZTE smartphones will access the general mode or child mode instantly - no swiping, PINS, passwords or hands required.

ZTE is also launching voice-enabled navigation search and music barge-in optimized for ZTE handsets within an automotive environment. The new, intuitive voice-enabled navigation function leverages Nuance's natural language understanding (NLU) to allow people to easily find points of interest. For example, people could say, "Where is Union Square?" and Car Mode will automatically show you Google Map for POI directions. Or, someone could say, "Take me to the post office" and Car Mode will search for the nearest post office and provide spoken directions.

Car Mode's music barge-in feature allows people to interrupt the system with spoken commands. People can say "Pause," "Stop," "Play next song" or "Play previous song" while music is playing to control their music experience - hands-free and eyes-free to minimize distraction behind the wheel.

"Voice biometrics, natural language navigation and music barge-in are breakthroughs in handset-based telematics, giving people the connectivity they expect as part of a mobile lifestyle, while minimizing dangerous in-car distractions. Nuance's advanced voice technology provides us with diversified and innovative speech capabilities for our mobile devices, giving users truly intelligent, safe and great mobile experiences," said Mr. Zeng Xuezhong, executive vice president and head of Mobile Devices of ZTE.

"Working with ZTE, we are transforming the in-car smartphone experience to bring consumers an incredibly intelligent and convenient way to stay connected, informed and entertained behind the wheel," said Michael Thompson, executive vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. "Combing voice biometrics with our voice technologies optimized for the in-car environment results in a smarter, safer - and better - mobile experience for ZTE consumers."

About ZTE Corporation

ZTE is a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions with the most comprehensive product range covering virtually every sector of the wireline, wireless, service and terminals markets. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 140 countries, helping them to meet the changing needs of their customers while achieving continued revenue growth. ZTE's 2010 revenue led the industry with a 21% increase to USD10.609 billion. ZTE commits 10 percent of its revenue to research and development and takes a leading role in a wide range of international bodies developing emerging telecoms standards. A company with sound corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, ZTE is a member of the UN Global Compact. ZTE is China's only listed telecom manufacturer, publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (h share stock code:0763.HK / A share stock code). For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn .

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN +0.43% is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com .

Nuance and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Nuance Communications, Inc.
______________________________________

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/zte-unveils-next-generation-car-mode-application-and-voice-biometrics-at-ces-2014-2014-01-08?siteid=nbsh

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

Nuance Unlocks Personalized Content for Smart TVs with Voice Biometrics for Dragon TV

By Business Wire, January 07, 2014, 08:00:00 AM EDT

Nuance's Dragon ID Brings Voice Biometrics to the Digital Living Room, Again Transforming the Smart TV Experience through Power of Voice

Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:NUAN) today announced that its Dragon TV platform now includes voice biometrics for TVs, set-top boxes and second screen applications, creating an even more personalized TV experience through voice. Upon hearing a person's unique voice, Dragon TV not only understands what is being said, but authenticates who is saying it, and from there enables personalized content for different members of a household. As a result, individuals can have immediate access to their own preferred channels and content, customized home screens and social media networks.

Voice biometrics as part of the Dragon TV experience transforms the lean-back experience of watching television in your living room - adding personalized content and even parental controls. So now when a user says their selected wake-up phrase such as "Hello, TV!," their voice is recognized and authenticated for personalized channel menus, favorite movies and content, or other user-specific preferences. And because it is combined with Dragon TV's voice and natural language understanding, changing channels and finding movies and shows is exceedingly fast and convenient.

Nuance's voice biometrics technology uses a person's unique voiceprint for effortless authentication to create a more engaging and more personalized consumer experience. Voice biometrics is already in use by many of the world's largest financial and telecommunications organizations globally, as well as within mobile virtual assistant applications powered by Nuance's Nina to provide consumers with convenient and secure access to content and information. Nuance voice biometrics technology leads the industry with over 35 million voiceprints deployed by its customers, representing over 80% of the commercial market. (Opus Research: Research Report: Voice Biometrics Vendor Survey and "IntelliView" 2013, July 2013).

"This is an incredibly exciting expansion of our voice biometrics capabilities, once again transforming the way we engage the connected TV," said Michael Thompson, executive vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. "Quick and easy access to content is at a premium in most household living rooms - even more so when that is a shared device like the TV. With voice biometrics, Dragon TV now brings both personalization and limitless access to shows, movies, content and much more."

Nuance's leading voice biometrics innovations allow for more secure, effortless authentication through natural voice patterns, and deliver market-leading accuracy, superior detection of attempted fraud, and simplified deployment and management of voice biometrics for use in both consumer and enterprise settings - not robotic PINs, passwords, and security questions. Voice biometrics delivers a more engaging, and more personalized, experience. To see recent data around consumer attitudes about authentication and voice biometrics, please read "Surveys Show: Consumers Ready to Say Goodbye to PINs, Passwords, and Probing" (May 8, 2013). To learn more, visit www.nuance.com/voice-biometrics.

Nuance creates more humanized interactions with the world's best phones, tablets, computers, cars, TVs, apps and services from leading manufacturers and operators. To learn more visit: http://www.nuance.com/for-business/mobile-solutions/dragon-tv/index.htm.

About Nuance Communications, Inc.
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:NUAN) is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications. For more information, please visit: www.nuance.com.
Nuance and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: Nuance Communications, Inc.


Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/nuance-unlocks-personalized-content-for-smart-tvs-with-voice-biometrics-for-dragon-tv-20140107-00272#ixzz2piYkloOM
_____________________________________

NUAN

[chmcnfunds]

Nuance to Start a Whole New Conversation with Launch of New Dragon Assistant for Intel(R) RealSense(TM) Technology

Next-Generation Personal Assistant Enables Engaging Two-Way Intelligent Conversations for Intel-based Devices - Becoming your Concierge, DJ and Messenger


LAS VEGAS & BURLINGTON, Mass., Jan 06, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN -0.03% today announced the next-generation Dragon Assistant designed for Intel(R) RealSense(TM) technology, an entirely new conversational personal assistant that works with your favorite websites and applications. The next-generation Nuance Dragon Assistant is available today on Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo 2 in 1, tablet, Ultrabook, notebook, and AIO devices, and coming in devices from Asus and Toshiba in early 2014. For the first time, Dragon Assistant will be available on a tablet, coming first from Lenovo in early 2014.

Dragon Assistant, which comes with two selectable personalities (American Female and British Butler), lets you have an ongoing dialogue with your Intel-powered 2 in 1, tablet, Ultrabook, notebook, and all-in-one devices. Simply tell it to play music, get answers, connect with friends and find content - all by using your voice. Dragon Assistant even lets you check your calendar, get maps and directions, find flights or book a dinner reservation. Also available offline, people can play music from their hard drive, control their device, dictate notes and more without an internet connection.

"Our vision with Intel RealSense technology is to make computing more immersive and enable human-like natural interaction," said Mooly Eden, senior vice president, general manager Perceptual Computing, Intel. "Intel has worked closely with Nuance at the system level for Intel-based devices; to create a leading voice solution that understands how humans speak, and searches like humans search, rather than forcing us to learn new commands to communicate with our devices."

Nuance's new Dragon Assistant is an intelligent and personable assistant that taps into Intel's Core i3, i5 or i7 processors, as well as the Pentium, Celeron or Atom processors. Combined with Nuance's intelligent systems in the cloud, Dragon Assistant delivers powerful contextual dialogue capabilities that keep the conversation going on next generation devices. For instance, ask: "Who directed Pulp Fiction?" and Dragon Assistant will quickly respond, "Quentin Tarantino." From there, ask: "Who was in that movie?" and Dragon Assistant will understand the context of the question, know that you are talking about Pulp Fiction, and tell you the list of actors. Similarly, you can ask "Where is a great place to get sushi?" and Dragon Assistant will take you directly to Yelp, displaying a list of top-rated sushi restaurants around you.

Dragon Assistant is both convenient and flexible - creating an easy and fun way to stay connected, engaged and informed, supported by an open ecosystem integrated with more than 170 content providers, including Spotify, TripAdvisor and many others. Dragon Assistant works seamlessly with these applications to complete tasks instead of just showing search results, and also provides instant access to e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. Just say, "Hey Dragon, post to Twitter that I am about to hit the Black Jack tables here in Vegas," and your thoughts are posted in seconds. Dragon Assistant even has a very friendly disposition!

"Together with Intel, we are changing the way people experience their devices, starting a whole new conversation," said Michael Thompson, executive vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. "This latest version of Dragon Assistant is transformative. People can have an interactive dialogue that is natural and intuitive, with a voice assistant that listens and understands the context of conversation - just as you would expect from a personal assistant powered by Nuance and Intel."

Availability To learn more and see what Dragon Assistant can do, visit www.nuance.com/dragon/dragon-assistant/ .

About Nuance Communications, Inc Nuance Communications, Inc. NUAN -0.03% is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com .

Nuance, Dragon, and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Nuance Communications, Inc.
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Entering into positive seasonal period for Nuance pps. 100% gains over the past five years -- hope it holds this year:

http://www.seasonalysis.com/publicPatternDetails.aspx?spid=cryfIf3qDy9BLkBeo0CFYCNmDAPIuMwVT7go%2ba4zVx4%3d

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USAA to Geico Test Voice Apps Seeking $12 Billion Savings: Tech

By Olga Kharif December 30, 2013

A Customer Tries the Siri Voice Assistant on an iPhone
While banks have offered basic services over the phone for years, new programs seek to provide more complex interaction, similar to Apple Inc.’s Siri talking digital assistant, also powered by Nuance’s voice and artificial-intelligence software.

First it was the tellers. Now, call centers are under threat as financial services firms weigh new voice-activation technology to cut the cost of customer service.

USAA, Geico Corp. and other financial firms are turning smartphones into virtual clerks. USAA in February became the first to let depositors use its mobile application via spoken commands. Now, Wells Fargo & Co., U.S. Bancorp and ING Groep NV also are among about 50 firms working with Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN:US) to use similar technology in mobile apps.

While banks have offered basic services over the phone for years, new programs seek to provide more complex interaction, similar to Apple Inc.’s Siri talking digital assistant, also powered by Nuance’s voice and artificial-intelligence software. Customers will eventually be able to ask, “Has my check cleared?” or “Am I on track to save for retirement?” using apps, instead of visiting a branch or dialing a call center.

The feature lessens the need for human interaction and could reduce the number of customer calls to banks by as much as 40 percent, said Richard Crone, chief executive officer of researcher Crone Consulting LLC. By using voice-based apps to cut the number of call centers and workers to staff them, the financial-services industry could save $8 billion to $12 billion a year, he said.

“There’s a business case around reducing call-center calls,” said Dominic Venturo, payments chief innovation officer at U.S. Bancorp (USB:US), which tested voice banking with hundreds of its own employees earlier this year.

Complex Questions
While apps vary from bank to bank, a user can typically activate the tool with a button and then start asking questions. The software bases its response on a quick review of such information as the customer’s account and banking history, providing answers with text or spoken word.

The overhaul of banking apps was prompted largely by Nuance’s release in August 2012 of Nina -- a Siri-like virtual assistant designed for mobile apps. Using artificial intelligence and a dictionary of thousands of banking-related phrases, Nina can simplify finding answers to complex financial queries on the go, said Robert Weideman, an executive vice president at Burlington, Massachusetts-based Nuance.

“We are seeing something very similar to mobile-check deposit -- all of a sudden, everyone is doing it,” Weideman said. Mobile deposits, which let customers snap photos of a check to submit it to their accounts, are used by 21 percent of Generation Y households -- those born in the early 1980s to early 1990s -- according to Raddon Financial Group.

Voice Surges
The market for voice-recognition technologies will reach $113 billion in 2017, up from about $53 billion last year, BCC Research LLC estimates. In two to three years, mobile will account for more than half of all industry customer-service interactions, up from less than 30 percent today, according to Crone. That’s happening as more consumers bank using their phones. Some 48 percent of smartphone owners had used mobile banking in the previous 12 months, up from 42 percent in December 2011, a 2012 Federal Reserve Board survey showed.

Nuance, whose stock (NUAN:US) is down by a third this year, could use the growth. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has taken a 19.2 percent stake (NUAN:US) in the voice-technology company and has named two directors to the board.

Protecting consumers’ privacy and security will be key for increased adoption of mobile-banking apps, said Seth Schoen, a senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. With smartphones functioning as small computers that store sensitive information, identity thieves are increasingly trying to steal users’ banking credentials, he said.

Smartphone Security
“When we are talking about banking, people are typically concerned about identity theft,” Schoen said. “There’s also a high-level concern that people’s phones could be infected with malware. This could be used to steal people’s banking credentials. They can use that to commit identity theft.” People should also be wary about the security of the networks themselves, he said.

To make real headway, the technology will need to get better: The system relies on always-on connectivity, which isn’t possible in areas with spotty wireless service. And many consumers may not feel comfortable talking to their phone in public.

“Am I likely to talk about my finances when I am in a group of strangers?” said Stessa Cohen, an analyst at Gartner Inc. “I think the answer is no. It might be like, you are watching TV, and you might use it. Or, if you are walking down the street, and you want to find the nearest ATM, you might use your voice.”
Verbal Cues
And, as Siri users complained at its introduction, the apps may not always understand verbal commands perfectly, such as from a person speaking with a strong accent or in a noisy environment.

“Voice is on the devices, but it still isn’t perfect,” U.S. Bancorp’s Venturo said.

Still, financial institutions are forging ahead, confident that customers won’t mind speaking to a virtual bank teller. USAA, which provides banking and insurance services to millions of military families, earlier this year rolled out an iPhone app that can look up users’ accounts and answer questions using voice commands.

“Before, I’d call USAA once a week or every two weeks to see that a check or a claim went through,” said USAA customer James Burge, of Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Since the voice option’s been given, I don’t call them -- really ever.”

Simple Questions
Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp and ING have also run tests, and may enable voice recognition in their apps in coming months. In the next year, 20 percent of all mobile-banking customers will use voice commands in their apps every month, Weideman said. That’s up from less than 1 percent today, according to Crone Consulting.

The banks are betting the voice feature will reduce the number of simple questions their human representatives field. The apps can also help ease the process of filling out applications for customers. Instead of typing on a tiny phone screen to apply for credit cards, for example, users can speak to fill out forms. Consumers also could potentially use voice to sign up for new accounts and to make appointments, said Jim Smith, an executive vice president at Wells Fargo (WFC:US), which tested voice features with 3,000 employees earlier this year.

Intelligent voice apps could “increase retention and ultimately increase revenue,” said Neff Hudson, an assistant vice president at San Antonio, Texas-based USAA. The convenience may boost the number of times customers interact with their banks -- virtually and in person -- by 10 percent to 30 percent a year, Crone said. That could eventually translate into more business: A checking-account customer may think of the bank when applying for a mortgage, for instance.

To contact the reporter on this story: Olga Kharif in Portland at [e-mail]
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http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-12-30/usaa-to-geico-test-voice-apps-seeking-12-billion-savings-tech#p1

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expiditer13, are the bonuses still on tap? and if so when are these to be distributed?

NUAN

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Short interest has moved to the highest point in approx. 5 months:

Settlement Date Short Interest Avg Daily Share Volume Days To Cover
12/13/2013 35,815,478 8,660,308 4.135589


Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/nuan/short-interest#ixzz2obB4fAJ5

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[expediter13]

Boom ! Gapped Closed in less than a month... woo hoo..

[chmcnfunds]

Icahn beginning to scare the shorts??

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Gap to close:



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Icahn buys 50,900 shares on the 16th @ $14.20/share.

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