*OFF TOPIC*
Steve-
Next Wednesday, both LUFK and SMTC should be releasing Q4 results. LUFK's outlook is very good, but it have been taken down with the oil stocks, due to the price of crude. We'll have to see what the company says next week, but I expect LUFK will beat estimates of .74, and it will report good growth in its trailer and power transmission divisions. Long term, the outlook for LUFK's oilfield equipment is very bullish. During 1998, we'll have to see what happens. When I visited the company in late December, the VP of the oilfield business said that he wouldn't expect order pushouts or cancellations unless the price of oil were to drop to $12-13. He said that customers, some of which are major oil companies, have a long-term horizon. When I was in Lufkin, the business looked very strong. But the CEO's comments on 1998 will determine what the stock does. It is thinly traded most of the time, but the situation should improve a bit once the company announces a stock split (which I expect may happen soon--maybe next week). I also expect LUFK to announce a dividend increase.
Check out my profile for other stocks that I recommend. My favorite is THQI, which will announce excellent earnings in 2 weeks. My second favorite is SMTC. Next is LUFK. After that, I like ZIGO (a battered supplier of chip-equipment and tools for the data storage industry), NCES and NOV, CCSC and CD. In biotech, I like BCHE and CNTO. Two very speculative biotech/pharma stocks I like are BTIM and ZILA.
Todd |
