<BREAKFAST WITH THE FOOL>
Tuesday, January 26, 1999
"Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you." -- Aldous Huxley
Compaq to Spin Off AltaVista
The world's largest PC maker Compaq Computer <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: CPQ)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: CPQ)") end if %> is expected to announce plans to spin off all or part of its AltaVista search engine at a press conference scheduled for today at 10 a.m. Eastern. The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is expected to name a new management team for AltaVista that includes making the head of its consumer PC products group, Senior Vice President Rod Schrock, CEO of the new company. CNBC this morning reported that Compaq will spin off all of AltaVista to its shareholders.
Indeed, in its press release publicizing the news conference, Compaq said it will unveil "the company's Internet strategy for AltaVista." It said company President and CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer will be joined by Schrock to make the announcement. Spinning off AltaVista -- the 12th busiest site on the Internet, according to market research firm Media Metrix -- in an initial public offering would allow Compaq to take advantage of the recent high valuations investors have awarded anything with a dot-com in its name. It would also give AltaVista an independent identity from its parent company.
According to analysts cited by the Journal, Compaq turned down several offers last year to buy AltaVista, believing it could remake the site into a portal a la Yahoo! <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: YHOO)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: YHOO)") end if %> and Excite <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: XCIT)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: XCIT)") end if %>. Compaq's recent agreement to acquire Shopping.com <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: IBUY)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: IBUY)") end if %> is consistent with such a strategy. In fact, AltaVista already carries news from ABCNEWS.com and video footage from C-SPAN and has links to selected online stores such as Amazon.com <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: AMZN)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: AMZN)") end if %>, Eddie Bauer and 1-800-FLOWERS.com.
Earnings to Go
Adaptec Inc. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ADPT)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ADPT)") end if %> -- fiscal Q3 EPS: $0.26 (before charges) vs. $0.28 last year; estimate: $0.21
Archstone Communities Trust <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: ASN)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: ASN)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.46 vs. $0.42 last year; estimate: $0.47
Artesyn Technologies <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ATSN)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ATSN)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.24 vs. $0.10 last year; estimate: $0.23.
Avis Rent A Car <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: AVI)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: AVI)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.11 vs. $0.02 last year; estimate: $0.08
Ben & Jerry's Homemade <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BJICA)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BJICA)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.11 vs. $0.09 last year; estimate: $0.07
Black & Decker <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: BDK)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: BDK)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $1.10 (excluding one-time items) vs. $1.00 last year; estimate: $1.10
Cabot Oil & Gas <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: COG)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: COG)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: loss of $0.01 (before charges) vs. profit of $0.38 last year; estimate: loss of $0.04
CNF Transportation <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: CNF)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: CNF)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.61 vs. $0.51 last year; estimate: $0.59
Coca-Cola <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: KO)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: KO)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.24 vs. $0.33 last year; estimate: $0.24
Consolidated Freightways <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CFWY)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: CFWY)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.53 (before charges) vs. $0.31 last year; estimate: $0.48
Cytec Industries <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: CYT)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: CYT)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.65 (before gain) vs. $0.62 last year; estimate: $0.57
EMC Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: EMC)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: EMC)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.48 vs. $0.32 last year; estimate: $0.46
Halliburton Co. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: HAL)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: HAL)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.20 (before charges) vs. $0.58 last year; estimate: $0.20
Hartford Life <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: HLI)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: HLI)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.77 vs. $0.62 last year; estimate: $0.73
HNC Software <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: HNCS)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: HNCS)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.27 (before charges) vs. $0.18 last year; estimate: $0.26
Jenny Craig <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: JC)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: JC)") end if %> -- fiscal Q2 EPS: loss of $0.02 vs. profit of $0.01 last year; estimate: profit of $0.03
Oakwood Homes <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: OH)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: OH)") end if %> -- fiscal Q1 EPS: $0.24 vs. $0.38 last year; estimate: $0.21
PathoGenesis Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PGNS)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PGNS)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.17 vs. loss of $0.73 last year; estimate: $0.15
PBOC Holdings <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PBOC)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: PBOC)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.50 vs. $0.61 last year; estimate: $0.22
Ralston Purina <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: RAL)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: RAL)") end if %> -- fiscal Q1 EPS: $0.41 (before one-time items) vs. $0.42 last year; estimate: $0.44.
Rayonier Inc. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: RYN)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: RYN)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.57 (before $0.07 charge) vs. $0.70 last year; estimate: $0.49
Regis Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: RGIS)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: RGIS)") end if %> -- fiscal Q2 EPS: $0.41 (before charges) vs. $0.33 last year; estimate: $0.40
Remedy Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: RMDY)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: RMDY)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.26 (before charges) vs. $0.27 last year; estimate: $0.24
S3 Inc. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: SIII)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: SIII)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: loss of $0.56 vs. profit of $0.03 last year; estimate: loss of $0.32
SanDisk Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: SNDK)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: SNDK)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.13 vs. $0.27 last year; estimate: $0.10
Sovereign Bancorp <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: SVRN)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: SVRN)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.27 vs. $0.23 last year; estimate: $0.28
STMicroelectronics <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: STM)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: STM)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.84 vs. $0.90 last year; estimate: $0.81
Sybron International <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: SYB)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: SYB)") end if %> -- fiscal Q1 EPS: $0.24 vs. $0.18 last year; estimate: $0.24
Tellabs <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: TLAB)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: TLAB)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.62 vs. $0.42 last year; estimate: $0.59
Union Pacific Resources Group <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: UPR)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: UPR)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: loss of $3.48 (from continuing operations) vs. profit of $0.31 last year; estimate: loss of $0.33
Uniphase Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: UNPH)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: UNPH)") end if %> -- fiscal Q2 EPS: $0.27 (before charges) vs. $0.20 last year; estimate: $0.26
USWeb <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: USWB)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: USWB)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: profit of $0.07 (before charges) vs. loss of $0.07 last year; estimate: profit of $0.06
VeriSign Inc. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: VRSN)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: VRSN)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: loss of $0.11 vs. loss of $0.72 last year; estimate: loss of $0.14
Whitman Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: WH)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: WH)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: profit of $0.12 vs. loss of $0.11 last year; estimate: profit of $0.12
Xerox <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: XRX)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: XRX)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $1.69 vs. $1.46 last year; estimate: $1.67
More Foolishness
The brothers Gardner chatted with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on a recent Motley Fool Radio Show... Check out our latest Daily Double, luxury good maker Gucci Group... Who's going to win the Super Bowl? Will Jamal dance the Dirty Bird? Play Foolball by entering your predictions, and you could win a $2,000 trading account courtesy of Datek.
-- Monday's Evening News
-- Fool Community
-- Post of the Day
-- Latest Fribble
Also, check out the Lunchtime News at 12:30 p.m. for updates on the top stories of the day, and remember to start each business day with Breakfast With the Fool at 9 a.m.
Let us know what you think of this feature. Send all comments and suggestions (including Foolish quotes) to the Breakfast Fools.
Yi-Hsin Chang (TMF Puck), Writer
Jennifer Silber (TMF Amused), Editor