Profit from a Shakeout By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jul 23, 2001 02:41 PM Stocks as a group may well frustrate investors for the next few months. But if past is prologue, today's weakness will translate into tomorrow's strength. You can profit if you pick the most-likely consolidation candidates. "We've seen all this...
CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jul 19, 2001 11:13 AM [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="230"] SCI Systems 52-week stock performance[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="230"] SCI Systems 52-week stock performance[/caption] Sanmina Corp.'s {SANM} purchase of larger rival SCI Systems Inc. {SCI} will create a formidable player in the electronics manufacturing services sector (EMS), but bloated inventories and...
Fund Managers Say: Get Real! By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jul 13, 2001 03:43 PM Sagging markets make this the time for investors to formulate more realistic long-term investment goals rather than shoot for the moon, according to participants at this week's Franklin Templeton fund manager roundtable forum held in Silicon Valley. Earlier...
Analysts Predict i2 Comeback By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jul 9, 2001 11:32 AM i2 Technologies Inc. 52-week stock performance Shares of i2 Technologies Inc. {ITWO} fell 20 percent last week after the company pre-announced a larger-than-expected loss for its fiscal 2001 second quarter ended June 30. But several company watchers from both...
Envision the Tech Rebound By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jun 6, 2001 04:23 PM For months now, most tech stock analysts have been roughly divided into two camps, those who expect to see a rapid V-shaped recovery in stock prices, which some think has already started, and those looking for a slower...
Isis May Hit Psoriasis Pay Dirt By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jun 26, 2001 12:00 PM Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. 5-year stock performance Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. {ISIP} could get more attention from investors after the firm's weekend announcement that it will commence Phase II clinical testing of a new topical ointment for the treatment...
Oracle Under Pressure By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jun 22, 2001 09:05 AM Oracle 52-week stock performance Oracle Corp.'s {ORCL} stock moved up roughly 20 percent this week as investors reacted positively to suggestions from the company that its sales slump may be bottoming out. But even analysts who are positive on the...
PeopleSoft Gaining on Oracle By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jun 19, 2001 03:47 PM PeopleSoft 52-week stock performance Oracle Corp. {ORCL} got all the attention this week, but several analysts think the comparatively stronger performance at rival Internet software maker PeopleSoft Inc. {PSFT} could be the bigger news in the months ahead. Earlier this...
3 Wireless Plays for 2002 By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jun 18, 2001 02:11 PM Several analysts say the wireless sector's recent plunge has opened up attractive buying opportunities at some smaller wireless enabling firms such as 724 Solutions Inc. {SVNX}, Aether Systems Inc. {AETH}, and Openwave Systems Inc. {OPWV}. Given current market...
Intel's Visibility Only Half the Battle By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jun 8, 2001 03:38 PM Investors gave Intel Corp. {INTC} credit this week for accurately predicting the degree to which its business is faltering. That good will won't last long without improved results. On Thursday, Intel held a mid-quarter conference call to...
What's Next for Microsoft? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 30, 2001 03:36 PM Microsoft Corp. 52-week stock performance Microsoft Corp.'s {MSFT, News, Boards} stock has moved up nicely in recent weeks as investors anticipate the launch of new products and fears recede that the company will be broken up as a result...
Expedia, Travelocity Make the Cut By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 25, 2001 03:30 PM Despite earlier concerns, leading financial and industry analysts now say it is increasingly clear that online travel firms Expedia Inc. {EXPE} and Travelocity.com Inc. {TVLY} will be among the handful of Internet operations that will survive, and...
Agile's CEO Speaks By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 24, 2001 03:03 PM Agile Software Corp. {AGIL} was in the spotlight again this week when the company reported pro forma net losses for its 2001 fiscal fourth quarter that met recently revised analyst expectations. On a pro forma basis, Agile's losses came...
TiVo's Future in Question By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 22, 2001 04:00 PM TiVo Inc. 52-week stock performance Most analysts won't be surprised to see TiVo Inc. {TIVO} post slightly lower than originally forecast losses when the company reports first quarter earnings on Thursday. But the agreement about the prospects for the...
Is AMAT Ahead of Itself? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 18, 2001 03:50 PM Like several other leading names in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment group, Applied Materials Inc.'s {AMAT} stock is up significantly off its recent lows. But at least one prominent analyst is warning that if past is prologue, the...
Uncertainty Lingers for Dell By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 17, 2001 08:15 AM Dell Computer Corp.'s {DELL} recent termination of approximately 3000 employees is expected to help the company meet earnings expectations when the firm reports its first quarter performance on Thursday after the market close. But analysts are sharply divided...
Rambus on the Ropes By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 15, 2001 02:00 PM The wild ride for Rambus Inc. {RMBS} shareholders may finally be at an end. A federal jury last week found the Los Altos, California-based memory chip design firm guilty of fraud for drafting memory chip patent claims based on...
No Quick Cisco Fix By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 10, 2001 04:34 PM Cisco Systems 52-week stock performance Like jilted suitors returning to a past love, investors have bid Cisco Systems Inc.'s {CSCO} stock up off the bottom it hit last month in hopes the company will ride out its current difficulties...
B2B Death Exaggerated By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 8, 2001 04:00 PM Experts say a handful of firms selling private trading network software, such as Manugistics Group Inc. {MANU}, Agile Software Corp. {AGIL} and i2 Technologies Inc. {ITWO}, should find themselves in the business-to-business (B2B) sector's sweet spot during the next...
Exodus May Be at Crossroads By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 4, 2001 01:00 PM Exodus Communications 52-week stock performance A handful of optimistic financial analysts are telling investors the worst may now be over for Exodus Communications Inc. {EXDS} shareholders. But several leading industry analysts say they have real doubts about whether...
Siebel's Challenges Grow By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent May 2, 2001 08:15 AM Siebel Systems Siebel Systems Inc.'s {SEBL} stock has doubled over the past month as investors bid it up on the expectation that the company will emerge from the current tech sector shakeout with the winning hand in the online customer...
Mr. Cisco Meet Mr. Avici By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 27, 2001 03:20 PM You probably already know that the economic downturn has been blamed for most of the problems that have depressed the stocks of leading networking equipment suppliers such as Cisco Systems Inc. {CSCO} and Juniper Networks Inc. {JNPR}. What...
Ariba Answers Critics By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 25, 2001 05:00 PM Ariba 52-week stock performance Most experts say don't look for much from Ariba Inc.'s {ARBA} stock over the next few quarters, with some warning that the company's existing product line up might not be enough to assure the firm's long-term...
A Value Manager Names Favorites By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 24, 2001 07:30 AM Successful value investing is all about buying the right stocks and then waiting for the right time to come along, says Bruce Baughman, portfolio manager of the $1.2 billion dollar Franklin Balance Sheet Fund {FRBSX}. Baughman's fund, which...
IBM Still Has Safety Net By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 18, 2001 08:00 AM Investors and corporate customers seeking security in uncertain times are expected to continue to protect International Business Machines Corp.'s {IBM} stock from the steep declines felt elsewhere in the tech sector. IBM reports earnings for its first quarter...
A Potential Biotech Blockbuster By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 13, 2001 08:00 AM ImClone Systems 52-week stock performance Positive preliminary clinical data released this week by ImClone Systems Inc. {IMCL} touched off a buying spree that pushed the volatile stock up roughly 10 percent over two days and led to predictions it...
Worries Linger for Hewlett Packard By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 10, 2001 04:16 PM Hewlett Packard 5-year stock performance Several tech stock specialists say they don't expect to see a sustained recovery in Hewlett Packard Company's {HWP} stock until sometime next year because of sluggish PC demand, tough competition in the UNIX...
Will Sun Warn? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 6, 2001 03:57 PM JNI Corp. 52-week stock performance Sun Microsystems Inc. supplier JNI Corp.'s recent earnings warning has led to speculation in several quarters that Sun might follow suit with an earnings warning of its own prior to the company's formal announcement of...
What's Next for Yahoo!? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Apr 5, 2001 08:00 AM Yahoo! 52-week stock performance In an unusual twist, several leading industry analysts paint a rosy long-term picture for Yahoo! Inc. {YHOO} at the precise moment when many usually more positive securities analysts are recommending a hands-off approach to the...
Red Hat: Slow, Steady Progress By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 29, 2001 04:14 PM Red Hat stock performance since IPO Despite a low share price and a lack of attention from many institutional buyers, industry analysts say Red Hat Inc. {RHAT} is making the type of slow but steady progress that should...
Oracle: Another Moment of Truth By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 27, 2001 03:34 PM Oracle 52-week stock performance The analyst, who leaped ahead of the pack in predicting Oracle's recent steep stock decline, remains bearish on the software maker despite the company's continued optimistic projections about its near-term future performance. But unlike last...
Pick of the Week: Coca-Cola By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 26, 2001 07:30 AM Who Timothy Ghriskey, portfolio manager of the $105 million Dreyfus Aggressive Value {DAGVX}fund. Stock Pick Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. {CCE} Recent Price $20.36 Appreciation Potential $30 within 18 months. Reason to Buy Coke's additional $300 to $500 million marketing push expected to boost stock of leading Coke...
Cisco: No Bargain Yet By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 22, 2001 02:32 PM Despite the carnage of recent months, several value fund managers say Cisco Systems Inc.'s {CSCO} stock still has to fall another 50 percent or so from its current level before it would begin to attract meaningful attention from...
In Intel vs. AMD, Neither Wins By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 20, 2001 10:28 AM Stiffening competition between chip giant Intel Corp. {INTC} and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. {AMD} is great for consumers, but not for investors of either stock, say analysts. The very same factors that make this the best time...
Analyst Pick: L-3 Communications By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 19, 2001 08:00 AM Who: John Rutledge, portfolio manager for the Evergreen Tech Fund. Stock Pick: L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. {LLL} Recent Price: $79. Appreciation Potential: Expected to outpace tech stock averages. Reason to Buy: Defensive tech stock play. L-3 Communications 2-year stock performance Investors looking for a...
Can XP Invigorate Microsoft? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 15, 2001 09:00 AM Microsoft Corp. {MSFT} is billing the pending introduction of its newest personal computer operating system (OS) for consumers and businesses, called Windows XP, as the single most significant upgrade to the firm's product line since the firm's groundbreaking...
Valuing VeriSign By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 13, 2001 10:45 AM VeriSign 2-year stock performance It seemed a bit like old times on March 1 when Dain Rauscher Wessels analyst Stephen Sigmond reiterated his firm's "strong buy-aggressive" rating on VeriSign Inc.'s {VRSN} stock, along with a sky-high $185 12-month price target. Although $185...
Some EMS Stocks May Bounce By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 8, 2001 02:10 PM After an interesting and disquieting few months, electronic manufacturing services (EMS) stocks, a soured sweet spot of the technology sector, could be ready to sweeten once more. For only the second time in six and a half years,...
Vignette CEO Counters Critics By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 6, 2001 10:47 AM Vignette's stock got hammered again late last week when analysts at Credit Suisse First Boston and Morgan Stanley joined several others who had downgraded the stock a few weeks earlier. The new downgrades were the latest setback for a...
A Sad Vignette By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Mar 2, 2001 10:51 AM Given the many seemingly positive news reports about Vignette Corp.'s {VIGN} new marketing alliances, you might think the stock is a bargain now that it's trading 95 percent below its 52-week high of 100 a share. But the experts...
Straight Story on Align Tech By Hal Plotkin Silicon Valley Correspondent Feb 27, 2001 03:58 PM Now that Align Technology Inc.'s {ALGN} post-IPO quiet period has ended, the securities firms who took the company public are out with a series of lengthy initiation reports that suggest the stock is headed for 50 percent or...
Bumpy Flight for Net Travel Stocks By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Feb 26, 2001 09:30 AM Dot-com investors have learned some painful lessons over the past year about the limitations of the Internet, particularly when it comes to selling bulky items like pet food and groceries. That's why many observers predict...
Can Handspring Beat The Odds? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Feb 12, 2001 08:37 AM Several analysts have been pounding the table hard on Handspring Inc.'s {HAND} stock lately. For tech investors, they say, HAND is the perfect antidote to the personal-computer blahs. While growth in PC sales dipped into single digits...
Webvan's Days Appear Numbered By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Feb 8, 2001 09:00 AM Quick, what are you going to have for dinner a week from now? If you're like most people I know, you haven't got a clue. Now take a good look in the mirror, because consumers like you are the main...
Akamai's Stock Soars Again By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jan 30, 2001 01:11 PM If you are an arms merchant, you had better be prepared for the next war. That pretty much sums up the challenges facing leading Internet infrastructure providers such as Akamai Technologies Inc. {AKAM}. Akamai is one of a handful of...
New Index May Move Biotechs By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jan 25, 2001 05:39 PM In the biotechnology arena, the Nasdaq Stock Market is taking on the American Stock Exchange, and, if you own some of these stocks, you might soon end up the winner. On Monday, Nasdaq announced substantial changes in the...
Can Stock Valuations Grow? By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jan 23, 2001 06:22 PM If the stock market is overvalued, even good stocks are likely to go down. But if the market is fairly valued or undervalued, the most-successful companies will see their stock prices rise from current levels. This is an important...
Aether Systems Inc. Soars Again By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jan 22, 2001 08:00 AM Aether Systems 5-day stock performance You can add Aether Systems Inc. {AETH} to the list of technology stocks posting double-digit gains over just a few trading sessions. But unlike Microsoft Corp.'s {MSFT} newly revived stock, Aether's stock, which rose...
How IBM Beat Earnings Estimates By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jan 17, 2001 04:59 PM One-day performance of IBM. International Business Machines Corp. {IBM} exceeded fourth-quarter earnings estimates Wednesday, when it reported that profits rose 28%. Big Blue's stock has soared Thursday, rising as high as 108.50, or about 12%. The Armonk, N.Y.-based company...
IPO Recovery Possible Next Year By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Silicon Valley Correspondent Jan 2, 2001 08:30 AM Krispy Kreme post-IPO stock price In a year that began with investors salivating over the next skyrocketing initial public offering by a hot Internet or telecom company, it is interesting to note that it was the purveyor of...