Investing For Growth
Investing For Growth
by Robert Sheard (MF DowMan) LEXINGTON, Ky. (Mar. 25): A weak technology sector didn't do the IFG portfolio much good today. Of the ten stocks, nine were losers, and not just fractional losers either. Like many of you, I'm counting the days until the quarterly adjustment in order to bid farewell to the technology holdings in the current portfolio. But that's part of the beauty of a proven mechanical system. It keeps the Emotional Investor in me from taking over and making rash decisions and gives me the discipline to ride out the rough patches while waiting for the next golden one. Here's hoping it's right around the corner.
On to the news, and there were lots of IFG stocks in the news today. Intel <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ:INTC)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ:INTC)") end if %> announced that it is dropping its plans to offer its own brand of high-speed cable modem because it feels there are enough other suppliers entering the market. The company will continue to work to promote common standards, however.
Oracle <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ:ORCL)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ:ORCL)") end if %> and Business Objects <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ:BOBJY)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ:BOBJY)") end if %> announced the release of Business Objects 4.0, a new "integrated query, reporting and multidimensional analysis tool capable of accessing relational data in Oracle7---the world's leading relational database for data warehousing."
More software company news. Computer Associates International <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE:CA)") else Response.Write("(NYSE:CA)") end if %> announced the addition of support for Symbol Technologies' two-dimensional bar code technology into its client/server distribution, manufacturing and financial management applications. The move should provide a link between four of CA's primary business applications.
And not to be outdone, Sterling Software <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE:SSW)") else Response.Write("(NYSE:SSW)") end if %> announced that its VM Software Division is releasing a new product, the VM:Webserver, a World Wide Web server for the VM/ESA operating system. Sterling's announcement is part of a drive to standardize global communications and data access with a common graphical interface. Sterling also announced that it is shipping KEY:Workgroup version 1.5. Maybe we can get MF Yakko to come explain just what the heck all of this stuff means?
Computer Sciences <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE:CSC)") else Response.Write("(NYSE:CSC)") end if %> was in the news today also, announcing that it has agreed to buy 75% of Denmark's Datacentralen A/S, which provides information technology services to the Danish public sector.
And one from the specious reasoning department:
Alex. Brown raised its rating on PacifiCare Health Systems <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ:PHSYA)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ:PHSYA)") end if %> to a "strong buy" from a "buy." The reason? Analyst Elanore Kerns said it was based on valuations. Sounds good, right? Well. . . "When I looked at PacifiCare's valuation relative to other industry leaders," she said, "I thought it was lower than its peers. The stock has been weak over the last six or seven trading days so I thought it was a good opportunity for people to get in." Hmm. . . wonder if she's read MF Bogey's Fribble, "Betting on Dead Dingoes" ? If you're following the Relative Strength version of Investing For Growth, PacifiCare is one to avoid.
And finally, Medtronic <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE:MDT)") else Response.Write("(NYSE:MDT)") end if %> announced a merger today with InStent <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NASDAQ:ININ)") else Response.Write("(NASDAQ:ININ)") end if %>. Medtronic will pick up all the shares in InStent, a developer of self-expanding and balloon-expandable stents used in medical procedures throughout the body, in an exchange worth approximately $200 million. | ||||||||
INVESTING FOR GROWTH (3/25/96)
Day Week Month Year History
IFG -2.19% -2.19% -3.71% -1.81% 3894.67%
DJIA 0.13% 0.13% 2.88% 10.29% 580.93%
S&P 500 -0.09% -0.09% 1.50% 5.54% 510.25%
NASDAQ -1.37% -1.37% -1.18% 3.32% 634.43%
Rec'd # Security In At Now Change
10/10/94 9586 Micron Tech 16.63 31.00 86.47%
1/5/96 3387 Sterling Soft 52.75 69.38 31.52%
4/8/95 5828 ADC Telecom 28.38 35.50 25.11%
4/8/95 3794 Intel 43.56 54.09 24.16%
1/5/96 3183 Comp Assoc 56.13 68.00 21.16%
1/5/96 4168 Oracle 42.88 47.63 11.08%
1/5/96 2627 Comp Sci 68.00 72.13 6.07%
7/8/95 3866 Tellabs 48.00 47.50 -1.04%
1/5/96 4229 Adobe Sys 42.25 31.31 -25.89%
7/8/95 3776 Applied Mat 49.13 35.00 -28.75%
Rec'd # Security Cost Value Change
10/10/94 9586 Micron Tech $159,367.25 $297,166.00 $137,798.75
1/5/96 3387 Sterling Soft $178,664.25 $234,973.13 $56,308.88
4/8/95 5828 ADC Telecom $165,369.50 $206,894.00 $41,524.50
4/8/95 3794 Intel $165,276.13 $205,211.80 $39,935.68
1/5/96 3183 Comp Assoc $178,645.88 $216,444.00 $37,798.13
1/5/96 4168 Oracle $178,703.00 $198,501.00 $19,798.00
1/5/96 2627 Comp Sci $178,636.00 $189,472.38 $10,836.38
7/8/95 3866 Tellabs $185,568.00 $183,635.00 $(1,933.00)
1/5/96 4229 Adobe Sys $178,675.25 $132,420.56 $(46,254.69)
7/8/95 3776 Applied Mat $185,496.00 $132,160.00 $(53,336.00)
CASH $458.86
TOTAL $1,997,336.73
Transmitted: 3/25/96
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