Buzz on the Bullboards: Who’s filling the void in the tech selloff?

Last week was full of tough questions for investors navigating the waters of a sea of global economic uncertainty and confusion.

Investors remain in a holding pattern as we witnessed some of the most popular companies among our communities (many in the tech sector) stuffer setbacks, while other smallcaps gained attention as investors looked for new potential plays.

Stockhouse’s Bullboard users often gravitate toward major swings and emerging opportunities alike. Tapping into this community can show us what’s captivating value-seeking investors. This week, we highlight three plays in three sectors that drew a lot of attention.

Sintana Energy Inc. (TSXV:SEI, Forum) stock saw a solid bump this week on news its exploration campaign in the heart of Namibia’s Orange Basin has yielded another significant light oil discovery.

The Toronto-based petroleum and natural gas explorer reported results from blocks 2813A and 2814B. Governed by Petroleum Exploration License 83, which is operated by a subsidiary of Galp Energia of Portugal, the Mopane-1X well on block 2813 was drilled, cored, and logged a deeper target.

Galp had also discovered a second significant column of light oil in reservoir-bearing sands of high quality.

The rig is expected to be relocated to the Mopane-2X well location to evaluate the extent of the Mopane discoveries, after which a Drill Stem Test is expected to be performed in Mopane-1X.

“This second light oil discovery at Mopane-1X provides further evidence of the scale and quality of our exploration portfolio held through our local partners, including Custos. We continue to be reminded of the timeliness of our entry into Namibia with the ongoing progress and success,” Sintana’s CEO, Robert Bose said. “We extend our further congratulations to the joint venture partners on this additional success.”

Canadian tech firm Gatekeeper Systems Inc. (TSXV:GSI, Forum) delivered a record-breaking fiscal Q1 2024, with 101 per cent year-over-year growth.

The provider of intelligent video and data solutions reported its financial results for the three months ending Nov. 30, 2023.

The quarter saw the company earn C$9.8 million in revenue compared to C$4.8 million a year earlier, representing an increase of 101 per cent revenue. Gatekeeper also logged C$2.3 million ($0.02 per share) net income, which compared with a total loss of C$86,000 for the same prior year.

Its gross margin was C$4.7 million, versus C$1.5 million for the same prior year comparable period, representing an increase of 209 per cent.

“These are the strongest first fiscal quarter financial results in our history by a wide margin. Both the school and transit segments of our business are exhibiting solid growth based on our platform as a service (PaaS) business model. The installed base of mobile data collectors (MDCs) has grown to more than 50,000, and we are now actively preparing and selling recurring-revenue solutions to help our customers monitor and optimize the vast amounts of video and data being recorded every day. These new offerings utilize AI, video analytics, hosted software solutions, and wireless data connectivity, and they form the data layer in our PaaS business model that enables Gatekeeper’s evolution as a data company,” Doug Dyment, Gatekeeper’s president and CEO, said.

Canada’s largest airline, Air Canada (TSX:AC, Forum) introduced new measures for people with disabilities under its accelerated accessibility plan.

“Our customers make 1.3 million accessibility requests each year and this initiative further demonstrates our commitment to improve accessibility, which we are reinforcing through the creation of a Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee,” Tom Stevens, Air Canada’s vice president, customer experience and operations strategy said in a statement. “Consisting of customers with disabilities from accessibility groups in Canada, the committee will contribute to heightened awareness and help us identify barriers and develop solutions.”

This comes after the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that Air Canada must fully accommodate passengers whose wheelchairs are too large to move into airplane cargo holds. Last year, the transport regulator determined that the airline must either find passengers with disabilities a similar flight on a comparable route or swap in a plane that is capable of carrying the mobility device.

The agency issued a C$97,500 penalty to Air Canada in December 2023 for violating the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations dating back to an Aug. 30 incident, accusing the airline of failing to help someone with a wheelchair to disembark their plane.

The passenger told CBC he was forced to drag himself off a flight because of a lack of available assistance, forcing the airline to issue an apology, saying it had violated Canadian disability regulations.

Another incident saw a passenger dropped and injured while attempting to exit an Air Canada flight, according to CBC. The passenger accused the airline’s crew of failing to bring the needed equipment.

This follows another incident where Canada’s chief accessibility officer, Stephanie Cadieux, said Air Canada forgot to bring her wheelchair on a cross-country flight.

In November, Air Canada announced it was accelerating its accessibility to improve the travel experience for persons with disabilities.

The company invested significantly in new equipment at Canadian airports, such as lifts. Customers who request lift assistance will be boarded first and seated at the front of the cabin they booked. When mobility aids are stored in the cargo hold, new systems will track the aids in transit, using the Air Canada app. Employees are also taking enhanced training to improve interactions with customers with disabilities. Air Canada’s 10,000-strong airport employees will receive this training.

The carrier also confirmed the first appointments to its new Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee, which will guide the carrier as it accelerates its three-year accessibility plan.

January gave us a wild market ride and the Stockhouse Bullboards are already excited about a new wave of smallcap stocks. If your portfolio made it through last month unscathed, congratulations, your reward this month is one extra day.

Next week will likely bring us more of the same, and the weekly Buzz on the Bullboards review will be here to bring you some intriguing stock highlights. For previous editions of Buzz on the Bullboards: click here.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. For full disclaimer information, click here.