HEROES
PEPSICO <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: PEP)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: PEP)") end if %> gained $7/8 to $37 5/8 on speculation that a
reorganization at its bottling division is a
prelude to
a spin-off or sale of that business. Shareholders are hoping for a Coke-like
transformation, where a pure-play on the syrup and Pepsi's world-class Frito-Lay
snack business would deliver greater shareholder value. While the merits
of the syrup-making business are apparent enough, many analysts give the
bottling business the short shrift. At an
enterprise
value of 1.05 times sales, 14 times gross cash flow, and 31 times free
cash flow, a company like COCA-COLA BOTTLING <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: COKE)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: COKE)") end if %> isn't
all that expensive. Bottling and distributing soda might not be high-margin,
but these are not ridiculous multiples, especially considering the simplicity
of the business model. With free cash flow over $25 million last year, Coca-Cola
Bottling could buy back all its stock within 14 years, delivering 7% yearly
growth in per-share value from the shrinking share count alone before earnings
growth from other factors is even figured in.
Family Channel TV programmer INTERNATIONAL
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: FAM)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: FAM)") end if %> added another $4 to $32 7/8 as investors
expect to see a sale of the company to either DISNEY <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: DIS)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: DIS)") end if %> or
NEWS CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: NWS)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: NWS)") end if %> in the near future. According to the L.A.
Times, the price tag has already reached $1.8 billion, suggesting that,
on an enterprise valuation basis, there are still a few more dollars per
share left in the purchase price. Does Disney want to pay that much for a
couple of distribution channels and some original programming inventory,
as well as the obligation to carry Christian Broadcast Network programming?
It already has excellent distribution that reaches the family segment, namely
The Disney Channel and A&E. If it does hold International Family shares,
it might just want to step aside and avoid the redundancy, and let News Corp.
take those shares off of its hands at a pretty rich price.
QUICK TAKES: Combustion systems and specialty chemicals company CATALYTICA INC. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CTAL)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CTAL)") end if %> jumped $2 3/4 to $10 3/4 on speculation that it would release results of study showing the efficacy of a product designed to reduce pollutants released by natural gas turbines... APPLIED MICROSYSTEMS CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: APMC)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: APMC)") end if %> gained $2 to $9 after the software development tools company was mentioned on Friday night's Nightly Business Report on PBS... NASTECH PHARMACEUTICAL CO. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: NSTK)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: NSTK)") end if %> surged $2 1/2 to $12 1/8 after Eric Elliot of Barber & Bronson talked about the company's prospects on this morning's CNBC Squawk Box... Medical products company THORATEC LABORATORIES CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: THOR)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: THOR)") end if %> rose $1 5/8 to $7 3/8 on announcing that it has received approval from the Japanese government to market its vascular access graft product in that country... INFORMIX CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: IFMX)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: IFMX)") end if %> gained $1 7/16 to $10 7/16 after the database company announced separate partnership agreements with INTEL <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: INTC)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: INTC)") end if %> and SEAGATE <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: SEG)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: SEG)") end if %>... INTERLINK COMPUTER SCIENCES <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: INLK)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: INLK)") end if %> jumped $1 3/8 to $9 3/4 after CISCO SYSTEMS <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CSCO)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CSCO)") end if %> announced a mainframe connectivity software product developed with Interlink, of which Cisco owns 9%... Enterprise software company TRITEAL CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: TEAL)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: TEAL)") end if %> gained $1 1/2 to $10 after announcing a cross-licensing agreement with application software company COREL CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: COSFF)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: COSFF)") end if %>... Semiconductor design software company QUICKTURN DESIGN SYSTEMS <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: QKTN)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: QKTN)") end if %> rose $1 11/16 to $11 15/16 after announcing that it has ported its SpeedSim software to DEC's Alpha server... AMERICAN REAL ESTATE PARTNERS <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: ACP)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: ACP)") end if %> gained $2 1/4 to $13 5/8 after John Spears of Tweedy Browne said that the Carl Icahn-owned real estate limited partnership is "dirt cheap"... Insurance services and brokerage ACORDIA INC. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: ACO)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: ACO)") end if %> gained $4 to $39 1/2 on agreeing to be acquired by financial services company Anthem Inc., which already owns two-thirds of Acordia... IOMEGA <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: IOM)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: IOM)") end if %> rose $1 3/8 to $18 3/4 after announcing the shipment of its six-millionth Zip drive and that Sony will include the Zip as a standard feature on two of its PCs... Anointed as a "value" by guru du jour Jim O'Shaughnessy in Barron's, WESTERN DIGITAL <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: WDC)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: WDC)") end if %> climbed $4 1/4 to $58 3/8 today... ALEXANDER HAAGEN PROPERTIES <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(AMEX: ACH)") else Response.Write("(AMEX: ACH)") end if %> gained $1 1/16 to $15 1/16 after the retail properties REIT said Lazard Freres will invest $235 million in the company.
GOATS
Health maintenance organization (HMO) operator PHYSICIAN CORP. OF
AMERICA <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PCAM)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PCAM)") end if %> lost $7/8 to $6 1/4 after announcing that it is
in talks to be acquired for $7 per share. Since the stock was trading above
that price on Friday, shareholders that were waiting around for a turnaround
headed for the door. The company has been putting together a business turnaround
over the last year, bringing down its medical loss ratio and earning $0.12
per share last quarter. Shareholder value creation hasn't happened, though,
as SIERRA HEALTH SERVICES <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: SIE)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: SIE)") end if %> cut off merger discussions with
the company in March. At the current $274 per customer level, the company
would be selling at a steep discount to the per-member valuations recently
paid in the HMO industry.
BOSTON CHICKEN INC. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BOST)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BOST)") end if %> was skinned for a $1 7/8 loss to
$16 1/8 after the company's restructuring plan was revealed in a conference
call with analysts today. News of headquarters staff cuts was not greeted
with the same pleasure that one might have seen in the market in, say, 1993,
even though it did pare its corporate HQ staff overhead by 23%. The operator
of Boston Market restaurants also said it will slow down its store development
plans, concentrating more on developing new products and cutting the use
of coupons. All of these things might have been a little more warmly received
by investors had the company not announced a 4.5 million share shelf offering,
which will dilute current shares by about 8%. On top of that, the company
also said that it wasn't comfortable with 1997 EPS estimates.
QUICK CUTS: Auto parts distributor and retailer APS HOLDING <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: APSI)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: APSI)") end if %> lost $2 to $6 on reporting a first quarter loss of $0.07 per share, missing estimates of $0.02... AXA <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: AXA)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: AXA)") end if %> fell further today, losing $1 5/8 to $30 as investors in the large French financial services company aren't taking kindly to a new Socialist prime minister in that country... COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CSIN)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CSIN)") end if %> fell $5 1/2 to $14 1/2 after the facilities management software company said it will cut staff and report a slight profit in its second quarter, below estimates of $0.24 per share... Pet superstore PETSMART INC. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PETM)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PETM)") end if %> fell $1 7/32 to $11 1/32 after saying last week that it sees continued weakness in its second quarter.
FOOL ON THE
HILL
An Investment Opinion by Randy
Befumo
Presstek Returns from the Grave
The printing equipment manufacturer made famous last year by its association
with the Cabot Market Letter has returned from the grave today. Shares
of PRESSTEK <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PRST)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PRST)") end if %> were up $6 3/4 to $91 1/4 after jumping
$11 on Friday after the company announced a high-profile joint venture with
aluminum producer ALCOA <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: AA)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: AA)") end if %> as well as a two-for-one stock
split. Presstek's giant rise over the last two trading days recalls the
growth-stock hey-day in May of 1996 when Presstek leapt as high as $200 as
momentum investor speculation roiled the market, marking a crescendo to the
momentum-style approach.
The excitement over the last two days came from a press release issued on
Friday detailing a joint venture between Presstek and the Alcoa Packaging
Equipment (APE) unit. The two companies will showcase a new imaging system
for the aluminum beverage can market at Cannex, an international packing
show scheduled to be held in Singapore in June. The system incorporates
Presstek's much touted PEARL (R) technology, a patented, proprietary
non-photographic, toxic-free, digital imaging and printing plate technology.
The PEARLsetter uses a laser diode to produce full-color lithographic printed
materials. The juxtaposition of Presstek's scandal-tinged name with Dow
Industrial alumnus ALCOA was apparently enough to make some investors reconsider
their position on the company.
Presstek has combined its PEARLsetter technology with Alcoa's "advanced metal
decorating equipment" in a product that will allow beverage can manufacturers
to put half-tones on aluminum beverage cans with no significant increase
in the cost of production. The device also allegedly shortens the pre-production
time required to process aluminum can designs, which would enhance turnaround
time on orders. The deal comes only days after Presstek announced the expansion
of its PEARLsetter product line at Imprinta '97, a printing industry trade
show. The company also announced it had sold its 500th PEARL Direct Imaging
system earlier this month and booked profits of $0.18 per share versus $0.08
per share in the year ago period.
The steady stream of good news out of Presstek is a stark contrast to the
scandal-ridden year the company had in 1996. The media has long-focused on
Presstek Chief Executive Robert Howard's checkered history, as he presided
over the rise and fall of another high-flying technology company in the '80s.
Although there was some to-do over Howard's decision to sell about 100,000
shares in
June
of 1996, the news that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) had asked
the Cabot Market Letter to hand over all materials related to Presstek,
including information about trades made by Timothy Lutts in Cabot's money
management business, is what caused the stock to really pick up velocity
on the downhill side. The SEC would only launch
a formal investigation of trading in the shares of the printing products
company on December 12, 1996.
If the investigation were not bad enough, Presstek told investors that "key
patent claims hadn't been held up in a recent government re-examination,"
putting the very technology that constituted Presstek's major asset at risk.
All heck broke lose with Presstek sliding $31 1/2 to $77 1/2 in one day,
falling substantially lower in the following weeks after the company had
to revise a quarter's earnings downward. The company was widely dismissed
as a vehicle for hype with little substance behind it that had traded beyond
any normal valuation range. Long-suffering short-sellers rejoiced, including
a few rather unpleasant people in the Motley Fool's AOL
Presstek
message folder.
Now investors are confronted with a resurgent stock that appears to know
no valuation bounds. Although first quarter's earnings of $0.18 per share
on $20 million in revenues was an improvement over $0.08 per share on $11
million in revenue last year. With a market capitalization of $1.5 billion,
the company current trades at 18.8 times its revenue run-rate -- the revenues
from the last quarter multiplied by four to annualize them -- and 126.7 times
its earnings run-rate. Having suddenly earned the stamp of legitimacy after
lingering in the dungeon of repudiation for months explains today's surge
to some degree, but Presstek's valuation still seems to push the boundary
of the reasonable, even assuming the company can double revenues and earnings
into next year
CONFERENCE CALLS
ORTEL CORP. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ORTL)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ORTL)") end if %>
(402) 220-5186 -- replay available for 7 days
WE DELIVER -
Get The Evening News delivered
to your e-mailbox every evening!
MORE
FOOLERY
Your Own Number
Cruncher!
Valuations! Ratios! Factors! Rates! There are so many numbers tossed around
Fooldom that it's easy to get lost, swimming in a sea of calculations, adrift
on the waves of fractional roots, desperately searching for the shores of
mathmatical reason. Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but there are a lot
of numbers to crunch. Enter Fooldom's brand-new and exciting ValuTool! This
Foolish software package is a simple and powerful way to work with the vast
amount of data necessary to determine the value of a stock. Give ValuTool
the raw numbers and it'll compute many of the ratios and valuations that
you read about as you wander through Fooldom and beyond -- The Foolish eight,
PEG ratio, and lots more! Spend more of your time researching and less of
it doing calculations. Check out ValuTool in
FoolMart today!
Randy Befumo (TMF Templr), a Fool
Fool Plate Special
Dale Wettlaufer (TMF Ralegh), another
Fool
Ups & Downs
Brian Bauer (TMF Hoops), and yet
another Fool
Editing