"Looking Back One Year" A review of stock picks from the week of August 25, 2003





Hello Friends. It is already another weekend. I have truly slowed down posting here....but I try to get in a couple of ideas at least each week and I think we have plenty here to work with! As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please consult with your professional investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com

On August 25, 2003, I posted Invivo Corp (SAFE) on Stock Picks Bob's Advice at $20.39. On January 26, 2004, Intermagnetics (IMGC) announced they had acquired SAFE at $22/share. We thus had a gain of $1.61/share or 7.9%.

Electronic Clearing House (ECHO) was posted on Stock Picks at $6.36. ECHO closed on 9/17/04 at $9.20 for a gain of $2.84 or 44.7%.

On August 11, 2004, ECHO announced 3rd quarter 2004 results. Total revenue increased 14.9% to $12.2 million. Operating income rose almost 100% to $1.1 million, up from $.6 million in the same quarter in 2003. On a diluted earnings per share basis, earnings were up 80% to $.09 from $.05 in the prior year. Things appear to be doing just fine at ECHO.

On August 26, 2003, I posted Engineered Support Systems (EASI) on Stock Picks at $54.77. EASI split 3:2 in November, 2003, for a resultant effective pick price of $36.52. EASI closed at $47.64 on 9/17/04 for a gain of $11.12 or 30.4%.

On August 31, 2004, EASI announced 3rd quarter 2004 results. Revenue rose 43% to $221.9 million from $155.7 million last year. Earnings rose 72% to $21.3 million or $.76/share compared with $12.4 million or 4.48/share the prior year. A pretty strong result!

On August 27, 2003, I posted Netflix (NFLX) on Stock Picks at $32.66.
NFLX split 2:1 on 2/12/04 for a net effective pick price of $16.33. NFLX closed at $16.99 on 9/17/04 for a gain of $.66 or 4%.

On July 15, 2004, NFLX announced 2nd quarter 2004 results. Revenue was $120.3 million, up 90% from $63.2 million the prior year. GAAP net income was $2.9 million or $.04/share compared to GAAP net income of $3.3 million or $.05/share the prior year. This downdrift in earnings was noted by the street and the stock has dropped accordingly! (There have been other concerns, but bottom line the earnings was a disappointment.)

On August 28, 2003, I posted Michaels Stores (MIK) on Stock Picks at $43.01. MIK closed at $58.46 on 9/17/04 for a gain of $15.45 or 35.9%.

On August 25, 2004, MIK announced 2nd quarter 2004 results. Diluted earnings per share came in at $.38, a 9% increase over last year's $.35/share. Sales came in at $682.9 million, up 11% over last year's sales of $616.5 million. Same-store sales were up 5% for the quarter. MIK appears to be doing just fine and just announced an upcoming stock split! Should be bullish for the stock price imho.

Quiksilver (ZQK) was selected for Stock Picks at $18.42/share on August 28, 2003. ZQK closed at $26.22/share on 9/17/04 for a gain of $7.80 or 42.3%.

On September 9, 2004, Quiksilver announced 3rd quarter 2004 results. Earnings jumped 64% to $19.5 million from $11.9 million, or $.32/share in 2004, vs $.21/share in the same quarter in 2003. Revenue increased 34% to $337.9 million from $251.5 million last year. These were very strong results and the stock has been moving higher in response to the news!

On August 28, 2003, I posted Supportsoft (SPRT) on Stock Picks at $8.94. SPRT closed at $9.76 on 9/17/04 for a gain of $.82/share or 9.2%.

On July 20, 2004, SPRT announced 2nd quarter 2004 results. Revenue for the second quarter was $16.9 million, a 34% increase over last year's $12.6 million, and a 7% sequential increase. Net income was $4.9 million or $.11/diluted share, compared with $2.0 million or $.06/diluted share last year, and $3.9 million or $.09/share the prior quarter. I LOVE sequential and year-over-year increases! Looks nice to me!

Finally, on August 29, 2003, I posted Wilson Greatbatch (GB) on Stock Picks at $39.24/share. This stock has been our WORST performer of the week closing at $17.02 on 9/17/04 for a loss of $(22.22) or (56.6)%.

On August 5, 2004, GB announced 2nd quarter 2004 results. Sales totaled $52.9 million, a DECREASE of 5% from the prior year. Net income decreased by 4% to $4.7 million compared to $5.0 million last year. And diluted eps dropped by 4% to $.22 compared with $.23 last year. They further guided lower in the announcement for an overall dismal report. However, the long-term may be brighter, but short-term, not very promising imho.

So how did we do with these 8 stocks? We had seven gainers and one big loser! Overall, the average performance was a gain of 14.7%. Not too shabby! Thanks again for bearing with me in this long review! If you have any questions, comments, or words of encouragement, please feel free to email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com Have a great weekend everyone!

Bob