Navteq: Bright Future if Managed Well

Navteq is an interesting company that “provides digital map information, and related software and services for use in various navigation, mapping, and geographic-related applications, including products and services that provide maps, driving directions, turn-by-turn route guidance, fleet management and tracking, and geographic information systems. The company offers these products and services to end users by its customers on various platforms, including self-contained hardware and software systems installed in vehicles; personal computing devices, such as personal digital assistants and cell phones; server-based systems, including Internet and wireless services; and paper media”.

It’s one of those companies that has been around for a long, long, long time. 1985, to be specific, is when the company was founded. Today, it is public, trades under the symbol NVT, and has amarket cap close to 3 Billion dollars.

It is also one of those companies that has the market coming its way, just like I had written was the case with Tessera.

Why?

Well, just fast forward 5 years. It would be safe to say, that GPS systems would become standard fare for all car manufacturers, as well as all cellular phone handsets. Besides those two humongous markets, there is, ofcourse, the Internet, with its strong push towards providing local information, the demand for mapping data from Navteq will continue to escalate in leaps and bounds.

Soon, I believe, all the newspapers (International, National, Regional, Local, Community) would also become customers of Navteq, to provide mapping services online, adding to the offerings from Google, Yahoo, and others.

Navteq, however, is probably also a company that doesn’t really know how to leverage the trends that are coming in their favor. So far, they were not in a position to attract the creme-de-la-creme of the tech talent pool. But now, they ought to be able to do that.

Comments

Navteq’s problem is that they are effectively in a duopoly. Market share shifts between Tele-Atlas and Navteq will occur on occasion in PND’s and In-car based on pricing or new maps being rolled out. I agree that they are not leveraging the large opportunities at hand and it is unfortunate considering the huge barriers to entry, and their strong IP. Unfortunately I am long NVT.

BP Friday, March 9, 2007 at 11:57 AM PT

Hi this is interesting material to read. Do you know where I can find more information about NVT business goals and objectives?
Thx

John Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 5:13 AM PT

I have no idea, John, except the obvious places like Earnings Call transcripts, and publicly available material. Or you can call them up, and try to interview at the company …

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