Wired Weekly Pick for the week beginning Sunday, July 26, 1998
A.D.A.M. Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADAM)
ADAM Snapshot:
High priced Internet plays are making some nervous. When will institutions start taking their profits in
truck loads? Can these Wall Street darlings continue to beat the street? At what point will they be
considered overvalued? In our opinion, ADAM presents a possible balanced alternative. While the
company is leaping forward with plans to ride the net, the company still relies on software sales for their
bread and butter. A.D.A.M. Software, Inc. is a leading developer of anatomy/medical content (2D and
3D imagery, animations and text) and software technologies. In addition to licensing content and software
components to developers and publishers, A.D.A.M. creates, publishes and markets multiple
award-winning multimedia software products, content and Internet-ready applications that provide
anatomical, medical and health-related information for the education, consumer and healthcare
professional markets.
With education listed as one of American's highest growing concerns, ADAM is working hard to provide
solutions that will benefit both the young and old. Back in mid July the company announced its strategic
initiative to develop ADAM.COM, a commercial Internet web site designed to bring the best of
education, entertainment and health-related information to consumers and professionals. ADAM.COM,
will represent a unique offering to consumers - bringing fun and wonder back to learning about the human
body, health and wellness. The Company's vast database of medical content, including over 32 gigabytes
of visual medical information, will be crafted in a way to offer a full range of services for all ages and
demographic types. Robert S. Cramer, Jr., A.D.A.M.'s chairman and CEO, said, "Looking at the
existing Internet offerings on health information, we believe that A.D.A.M. is uniquely positioned to
develop a commercial web site that fills a void in the consumer marketplace. We want to create an all
encompassing place where professionals of all types, their children and family members can experience a
visually-engaging, content- rich and "child-safe" place on the Internet."
We feel the future looks bright for ADAM. Our research has indicated that considering ADAM's recent
share price, the company seems relatively strong from a fundamental perspective (for a $3 to $4 stock,
we have seen friends and family invest in a lot worse). Many expect the company to outperform the
computer software industry average growth rate by as much as 12% over the next year. The company,
which is scheduled to report earnings sometime next week, has turned a profit four consecutive quarters
and is expected to report $.06 cents a share for the coming quarter. We feel momentum is on their side.
Of course, there are no guarantees. Especially after last week's landslide of what we considered to be
some very favorable NASDAQ issues. |
