In Support of Inrange By Michael Falbo Special to TheStreet.com 3/7/01 6:32 PM ET URL: thestreet.com from Ben Holmes.
Last week, I took a much-needed vacation that just happened to coincide perfectly with a complete and total void of expiring lockups. Well, I'm back and I brought some lockup expirations with me.
The stock to keep a lookout for this week is Inrange Technologies (INRG:Nasdaq), a company that manufactures switching and networking products in Mount Laurel, N.J. The stock has suffered like many other tech IPOs of last year, but Inrange has got a few things going for it.
First of all, it has managed to gain heavy support from its parent company, SPX (SPW:NYSE).
On Feb. 28, SPX announced that its board approved a plan to repurchase up to $50 million worth of Inrange stock. I know this sounds like the same old song and dance, but it may also indicate that SPX believes that Inrange is undervalued. Many of you may view the announcement as pure propaganda, but SPX has a good reason to return to the profits.
In its latest earnings report, Inrange beat analysts' estimates by 2 cents. The company posted fourth-quarter earnings of $7.4 million on revenue of $71.1 million. How many IPOs in the last six months can say that they beat estimates, let alone are profitable? I can think of very few.
Most importantly, I assure you that Inrange's ability to continue to increase its profits hasn't gone unnoticed by major institutions. As an investor, I would wait until the dust clears for the lockup expiration on March 20, and take a solid look at Inrange.
Here's the list for this week:
For more on lockups and why they matter, check out this primer on the subject. A more recent take on lockups appears here.
Lockup End Deal Name Released Outstanding 3/18/01 VIRYANET (VRYA:Nasdaq) 14,137,269 21,541,111 Chase H and Q SEC Filings 65.63%* News
3/19/01 OMNISKY (OMNY:Nasdaq) 41,997,191 66,477,892 CS First Boston SEC Filings 63.17%* News
3/20/01 CURON MEDICAL (CURN:Nasdaq) 13,471,950 18,682,374 UBS Warburg SEC Filings 72.11%* News 3/20/01 INRANGE TECHNOLOGIES (INRG:Nasdaq) - 84,488,333 Salo Smith Barney SEC Filings -* News 3/20/01 TTM TECHNOLOGIES (TTMI:Nasdaq) 28,050,000 37,338,705 Robertson Stephens SEC Filings 75.12%* News 3/20/01 ZENGINE (ZNGN:Nasdaq) - 17,313,044 William Blair SEC Filings -* News Source ipoPros.com * Released shares as a percentage of outstanding.
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