Motley Fool QuickNews
March 27, 2001
Closing Market Numbers
DJIA 9947.54 +260.01 +2.68%
Nasdaq 1972.24 +53.75 +2.80%
S&P 500 1182.18 +29.49 +2.56%
Russell 2000 452.88 +5.50 +1.23%
30-Year Bond 98 25/32 -1 11/32 5.46 Yield
FOOL 50 1,479.02 +38.26 +2.66%
Motley Fool Audio Market Wrap
- Roundup: Foolish takes on Ericsson, Warren Buffett, Adobe, and more.
- Today's Market Movers: Top news and active stocks.
- Editors' Pick: One great feature you shouldn't miss.
FOOL ON THE HILL An Investment Opinion
Think Small Companies
By Whitney Tilson
An individual investor's greatest advantage is being able to buy illiquid stocks that money managers can't. Small-cap stocks are especially attractive today, with so few bargains available among blue-chip stocks.
FULL STORY
TranSwitch Warns, Again
By Rex Moore (TMF Orangeblood)
The semiconductor earnings warnings continue to roll in, and things seem to be getting worse. TranSwitch yesterday had to significantly lower guidance it revised less than three weeks ago. Following a now-predictable formula, the company complained of poor short-term visibility, but says things should improve soon.
FULL STORY
FOOL'S DEN A QuickNews Extra
The Inside Scoop on Adobe
By Mike Trigg (TMF Tonto) and Zeke Ashton (TMF Centaur)
Graphic design software vendor Adobe announced better-than-expected first-quarter earnings on March 15. After warning of disappointing sales earlier in the quarter, Adobe's bottom-line surprise points to its tremendous operating leverage: The company was able to prudently manage expenses despite slowing sales and post earnings that exceeded expectations.
FULL STORY
A New & Improved Ericsson?
By Todd N. Lebor (TMF TeeTime)
The world's largest wireless infrastructure maker announced a restructuring that will resonate throughout the company, not just in manufacturing. Management insists it is holding on to the handset division, where results have been strained by a failure to meet demand for low-price phones. Its networking equipment division, meanwhile, is also suffering.
FULL STORY
FOOL PLATE SPECIAL An Investment Opinion
Buffett Sees No Bargains
By Paul Larson (TMF Parlay)
Warren Buffett recently spoke with reporters about Berkshire Hathaway's recent investments and the health of the economy. Even after the market's recent decline, Buffett indicated that Berkshire has had a tough time finding bargains on Wall Street. He also doesn't see the economic slowdown ending anytime soon.
FULL STORY
DRIP PORTFOLIO A QuickNews Extra
Compaq's Strong Storage
By Vince Hanks (TMF Elwood)
Often overlooked as a player in the enterprise data storage industry, Compaq Computer Corp. is among the early leaders in this exciting new sector. Investors interested in long-term opportunities in emerging industries should put Compaq on their radar screen.
FULL STORY
BREAKFAST WITH THE FOOL
A Mess at Vitesse
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMF Edible)
It's no longer a question of whether the economy is slowing; it's simply a matter of gauging the snail-paced severity. Vitesse Semiconductor became the latest chipmaker to warn of soft sales and weak profits. Not only are Vitesse's clients holding back on new orders, but they're also calling off existing ones.
FULL STORY
Ups
Personal digital assistant company Handspring (Nasdaq: HAND) pocketed gains of $3.38 to $16.19 on the announcement that it has a deal with computing products distributor Ingram Micro (NYSE: IM) to provide distribution service for resellers seeking to market the company's Visor line of handheld products to the corporate market.
Harry Potter publisher Scholastic (Nasdaq: SCHL) moved ahead $1.75 to $36.88 today. After announcing that the company was making a contingent bid of $8 million for some of bankrupt eToys' assets, it shed nearly $200 million in market cap during yesterday's trading. Today the company said it decided to bow out of the eToys bidding.
Credit card company Providian (NYSE: PVN) rose $5.18 to $49.08 on news that Morgan Stanley Dean Witter raised its rating on the shares to "outperform" from "neutral." News agencies further reported that the company bought a Bank in Argentina from Deutsche Bank. The company plans to offer banking and credit card services in South America's second-largest economy after Brazil.
Railroad company CSX (NYSE: CSX) rolled ahead $2.67 to $32.58 on news that Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Gary Yablon raised his rating on the shares to "buy" from "hold," boosting earnings estimates and setting a 12-month share price target of $30.
Downs
Supply-chain software company Manugistics (Nasdaq: MANU) reported quarterly profits of a nickel a share, in-line with expectations. Further soothing and possibly vindicating the B2B sector, Manugistics announced that it was also comfortable with projections through fiscal 2002. Even so, the company's shares lost $2.41 to $23.56 today.
Business-to-business software company Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA) retreated $0.94 to $10.06 today. Banc of America Securities, a story on TheStreet.com said, lowered its earnings estimate on the company by 20% because of a slowing economy and a market shift toward direct procurement solutions as opposed to marketplaces.
Title insurance company First American Title Insurance, a subsidiary of First American Financial Corp. (NYSE: FAF), lost $3.16 to $25.39 on news that it would buy Missouri's Hall Abstract and Title Co., which is privately owned. The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to close next month.
Cancer care services provider U.S. Oncology (Nasdaq: USON) retreated $1.38 to $7.63 after announcing fourth-quarter earnings, excluding certain charges, of $0.12 per share. That's up from a dime last year but only flat with Street estimates. Revenues rose 19% year-over-year to $355.8 million.
Before you invest, you should understand a company's present and future. Rich McCaffery tells you how to do it.
RSS Headlines
Fool UK
