<BREAKFAST WITH THE FOOL>
Friday, February 26, 1999
"He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody." -- Joseph Heller
Philips Offers to Buy VLSI
Europe's largest semiconductor company Philips Electronics NV <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: PHG)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: PHG)") end if %>, of the Netherlands, has made a $777 million bid to buy San Jose, California-based chipmaker VLSI Technology <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: VLSI)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: VLSI)") end if %>. The cash offer amounts to $17 per share, a price that's about 58% above VLSI's closing price yesterday of $10 3/4. Philips has asked for a response by March 3.
The Dutch consumer-electronics company said there's virtually no overlap in the two firms' businesses and that VLSI would help strengthen its presence in the U.S. and serve as the "cornerstone" of its strategy for Philips Semiconductors. The acquisition would give the company a broader range of chips for its electronic consumer products and reinforce its main business as it unloads unprofitable assets and reduces costs. VLSI designs and manufactures custom and semi-custom integrated circuits for the wireless communications, networking, consumer digital entertainment, and advanced computing markets.
The deal would largely be financed through existing cash balances yet still leave Philips with more than $5 billion in cash. Philips is flushed with cash from the sale of its PolyGram music company to Canadian spirits and entertainment company Seagram Co. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: VO)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: VO)") end if %>.
News to Go
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that connecting to the Internet constitutes a long-distance call. Although the FCC said the ruling won't result in higher connection costs for consumers, some consumer groups worry that Internet dial-up calls will be hit with the same charges levied on long-distance voice calls. The decision was good news for the Baby Bells, which will no longer have to pay independent phone companies used by many Internet service providers "reciprocal compensation" for routing calls onto the Internet.
Walt Disney Co. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: DIS)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: DIS)") end if %> appointed ABC chief Robert Iger to the new post of president of Walt Disney International to oversee the entertainment company's expanding international operations. Steven Bernstein, formerly chairman of ESPN and president of ABC Sports, will take over as president of ABC.
The world's largest automaker General Motors <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: GM)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: GM)") end if %> increased its 1999 U.S. industry forecast of car and truck sales to 15.5 million cars from 15 million. The company expects its own market share to rise, as well.
Office supply retailer Office Depot <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(NYSE: ODP)") else Response.Write("(NYSE: ODP)") end if %> announced a 3-for-2 stock split, payable April 1.
Networking equipment maker Fore Systems <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: FORE)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: FORE)") end if %> said it has acquired privately held Euristix Ltd. for about $81 million in stock, adding to its product line software that helps phone companies set up and manage data networks. Fore expects to take a pre-tax charge of $30 million to $35 million in its fiscal fourth quarter, ending March 31.
Latest Earnings Announcements:
Ballard Power Systems <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BLDPF)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BLDPF)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: loss of $0.02 vs. loss of $0.02 last year
Datum Inc. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: DATM)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: DATM)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: profit of $0.01 vs. $0.01 last year; estimate: loss of $0.07
Intuit <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: INTU)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: INTU)") end if %> -- fiscal Q2 EPS: $1.34 (before gain) vs. $0.95 last year; estimate: $1.30
Lycos <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: LCOS)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: LCOS)") end if %> -- fiscal Q2 EPS: loss of $0.03 (before charges) vs. profit of $0.01 last year; estimate: loss of $0.04
MySoftware Co. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: MYSW)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: MYSW)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: profit of $0.08 vs. loss of $0.38 last year; estimate: profit of $0.07 (single analyst)
Novell Inc. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: NOVL)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: NOVL)") end if %> -- fiscal Q1 EPS: $0.08 vs. $0.04 last year; estimate: $0.08
Wind River Systems <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: WIND)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: WIND)") end if %> -- fiscal Q4 EPS: $0.20 (before charges) vs. $0.15 last year; estimate: $0.19
W.R. Berkley Corp. <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BKLY)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: BKLY)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: loss of $0.43 (before one-time items) vs. profit of $0.72 last year; estimate: profit of $0.53
Zebra Technologies <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ZBRA)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: ZBRA)") end if %> -- Q4 EPS: $0.29 (before charges) vs. $0.44 last year; estimate: $0.46
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Yi-Hsin Chang (TMF Puck), Writer
Jennifer Silber (TMF Amused), Editor