Fool
Portfolio Report
Wednesday, January 21, 1998
by Jerry Thomas
([email protected])
SHERMAN OAKS, CA (Jan. 21, 1998) -- The guys who run the Fool Portfolio have made a lot of mistakes over the years. They've sold stocks they should have kept. They've bought stocks they shouldn't have touched. But the biggest mistake they ever made was letting a guy named "Cheeze" write the FoolPort Recap four days before Superbowl XXXII.
That's Cheeze as in Cheeze-head. Born in Wisconsin just in time to grow up with the glory years of the Lombardi era. Tempered by decades of fan frustration as a seemingly endless series of Packer squads sucked turf. And completely lacking the requisite maturity that would have prevented him from indulging in some serious trash talk in this global forum less than 100 hours before kickoff.
Heh heh heh.
The Pack will be rolling into Qualcomm Park come Sunday and they'll pummel the weakling nancyboy girlyman Broncos just like the FoolPort slapped the indices today. The FoolPort was up in a weak market thanks mainly to strength in two of our three largest holdings, Amazon and Iomega. Like a Brett Favre stepping forward in a clutch play as the pocket collapses around him, these two stocks performed well enough to propel the portfolio to paydirt. The portfolio ended the day with a 0.20% gain. It was enough to beat the market.
We will, we will rock you.
The rest of the portfolio fared less well. All four of our Foolish Dow stocks were sacked for a loss. Innovex and Lucent gained small yardage, but 3Com, AOL, KLAC, and 3Dfx gave it back. It was a tough game, but sometimes you gotta win ugly.
Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) surged today thanks to some strong fan support. The Wise fellows in the expensive suits watching the game from their corporate box decided they like the new rookie player, and initiated coverage today with a "long term attractive" rating. The stock gained $1 5/16 today, a suitable Lambeau Leap into the arms of grateful fans.
As for Iomega (NYSE: IOM), who knows? Yesterday IOM received an endorsement from SoundView Financial, which rated the stock a "short-term buy" and a "long-term hold." That might account for today's move, but Fools will thank the analysts for the friendly nod and promptly turn their attention to tomorrow's earnings report, which will be announced shortly after the close of trading. The experts are predicting fifteen cents per share. Stay tuned for plenty of Foolish examination of the new numbers in our Iomega message board.
Hey, and don't forget the Fabulous Fool Book Tour. Tom and Dave breeze into San Francisco today (much like the Packers did a couple of weeks ago) for fun, fellowship, and Foolishness. They'll sign your book. Hey, they might even sign your football if you bring it to them. Tomorrow, the Brothers G arrive in Seattle for the final stop on their West Coast Sweep. Then Thursday, January 29th, catch them on their home turf in Washington, D.C.
Time for some armchair quarterbacking. What brought the market down today? Maybe it was an earnings report from an obscure company which goes by the name of International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM), which yesterday issued a less than exciting quarterly earnings report. IBM lost over $8 per share today, and inspired the phrase "lumbering giant" in today's Motley Fool Evening News. The company is predicting a weak first quarter. Formerly the fortress of its industry, it now looks like a great player past his prime. In other words, well, kinda Elway.
Ooooh, cheap shot.
Obviously, this is all in fun. Just like any stock in our Foolish Portfolio, the Packers could lose on Sunday. I mean, stranger things have happened. Like we say in the stock market, past performance is no guarantee of future results. And I could very well be eating my day-glo polyester Cheeze Hat come Monday morning. Watch the play of Shannon Sharpe on the Bronco side of the ball. As for Green Bay, check out the rock solid rookie Ross Verba on the Packer offensive line.
Oh yeah, there's a factoid I'd like everyone to consider: The Packers have never lost a Superbowl. And the Broncos have never won one.
Heh heh heh.
Be Foolish,
and Go Pack Go,
Jerry Thomas
WE
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Buy a Book and Get It Signed! -- Book Tour '98
TODAY'S
NUMBERS
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Day Month Year History FOOL +0.20% -0.73% -0.73% 233.15% S&P: -0.80% 0.04% 0.04% 111.78% NASDAQ: -0.14% 1.12% 1.12% 120.49% Rec'd # Security In At Now Change 8/5/94 355 AmOnline 7.27 95.25 1209.66% 5/17/95 1960 Iomega Cor 1.28 13.19 929.95% 10/1/96 42 LucentTech 47.62 82.94 74.18% 8/12/96 130 AT&T 39.58 65.13 64.55% 9/9/97 290 Amazon.com 38.22 60.75 58.94% 8/11/95 125 Chevron 50.28 77.00 53.13% 8/12/96 110 Minn M&M 65.68 82.38 25.42% 8/12/96 280 Gen'l Moto 48.74 58.56 20.15% 1/8/98 115 S&P Depos. 95.91 97.00 1.14% 4/30/97 -1170 *Trump* 8.47 8.75 -3.32% 12/19/97 17 Raytheon 53.21 51.00 -4.15% 1/8/98 425 3Dfx 25.67 23.50 -8.44% 8/24/95 130 KLA-Tencor 44.71 37.69 -15.71% 6/26/97 325 Innovex 27.71 21.38 -22.86% 8/13/96 250 3Com Corp. 46.86 31.63 -32.52% Rec'd # Security In At Value Change 8/5/94 355 AmOnline 2581.87 33813.75 $31231.88 5/17/95 1960 Iomega Cor 2509.60 25847.50 $23337.90 9/9/97 290 Amazon.com 11084.24 17617.50 $6533.26 8/11/95 125 Chevron 6285.61 9625.00 $3339.39 8/12/96 130 AT&T 5145.11 8466.25 $3321.14 8/12/96 280 Gen'l Moto 13647.92 16397.50 $2749.58 8/12/96 110 Minn M&M 7224.44 9061.25 $1836.81 10/1/96 42 LucentTech 1999.88 3483.38 $1483.50 1/8/98 115 S&P Depos. 11029.25 11155.00 $125.75 12/19/97 17 Raytheon 904.57 867.00 -$37.57 4/30/97 -1170*Trump* -9908.50 -10237.50 -$329.00 8/24/95 130 KLA-Tencor 5812.49 4899.38 -$913.12 1/8/98 425 3Dfx 10908.63 9987.50 -$921.13 6/26/97 325 Innovex 9005.62 6946.88 -$2058.75 8/13/96 250 3Com Corp. 11715.99 7906.25 -$3809.74 CASH $10740.46 TOTAL $166577.08
