Dow Jones Newswires
Aware Dn -2: Business In 'Very Good Shape'
-Exec
NEW YORK -- Shares of Aware Inc. (AWRE) slipped more than 14%
Tuesday, befuddling the company but leading one analyst to believe rumors
may be to blame.
"Fundamentally our business is in very good shape and we haven't announced
anything to cause something to happen to our stock," said Chief Financial
Officer Rick Moberg. "Whatever's causing it isn't clear to us now."
Bedford, Mass., Aware develops software that allows chips to operate on
digital subscriber line, or DSL, networks.
Stephens Inc. analyst Charles Pluckhahn surmised the slide may be due to an
ongoing rumor that a form of DSL called G.lite has been delayed sectorwide.
G.lite is a DSL that is slower in transmitting data but easier to install than a
regular DSL.
"G.Lite was hopeful for Christmas but few people counted on it, and it's been
slipping for months," said Dave Burstein, editor of DSL Prime, a newsletter
covering the speed-enhancing technology.
Moberg had his doubts that this delay was affecting the stock.
"Something seemed to flick a switch at 10 o'clock this morning," Moberg said.
"The deferral of G.lite isn't helpful to us. I'm not sure it hurts us, though. I
honestly don't know if it could be driving down my stock today."
Pluckhahn also posited the rumor that some chip companies that create their
own software "are gaining market share at the expense of the ones that do buy
from Aware." Pluckhahn rates the company at buy and has a 12-month price
target of $60.
"I don't think it is true," said Moberg of this rumor. "If the basic question is do
I think Aware's partners have lost market share to its competitors, I don't think
that it's true."
At least one analyst held a different view of Tuesday's stock slide.
"I think the stock's coming back down into a more acceptable range," said
Joel Achramowicz, a senior research analyst at Preferred Capital Markets.
"Especially when the stock was at $90 - that was absurd. I think the number is
somewhere between $10 and $20 a share."
Aware shares recently traded at 24, down 4 3/16, or 14.9% on volume of 1.4
million. Average trading volume is 574,100 shares.
-Laura Elizabeth Pohl, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5392
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