To: Stocker who wrote (5565 ) 5/27/2000 1:10:00 PM From: Edward W. Richmond Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 5927
Stocker, I agree with almost all of your assessment of the current situation as it relates directly to ATY's operation, competition etc. My concern was with Robert's comment about market share. If ATY had dropped prices substantially and had still lost market, I would have major concerns. Certainly, I would not have made another purchase on Friday morning. I believe that ATY did the right thing in dropping prices to retain customers. In my mind, it is better to "pay the piper" and maintain a supplier/customer relationship during a difficult time rather than protecting the top and bottom lines of the financial statement and, later, trying to win back lost customers. I disagree with you comments on analysts. They may have access to research and information well beyond what retailers can access. However, I believe that analysts are often unreliable in the conclusions they attribute to this information. I question their objectivity. Examples 1. If an firm does an underwiting for a company that is a real dog, what kind of research report will the firm provide? One that promotes the placement of the new shares, or an objective assessment of the company's real prospects? Look at the analyst's published reports and price targets for companies that are in big trouble and for which they have/had some financial involvement. 2. If a company has a supply of shares that they wish to sell, you can bet that they will NOT give a negative analysis, no matter how bad the company is. 3. If my firm has a financial interest in a competing company, I may well be motivated to hammer ATY and promote the stock with which I have a business interest. 4. This is the one that would most likely apply to ATY. If a company has a bad quarter and you have no financial interest in it, short like crazy, provive a very negative analysis and give a VERY low price target. Hmmmm! Does the name Yorkton come to mind? I am sorry to belabour the point, but I think we need to look for mixed motivations when evaluating analyst's comments, research reports and price targets. Having said all that, I do expect to see ATY in a trading range for at least the next two quarters. That doesn't cause me a lot of concern. In a year or so, I do expect to see a much more positive view of ATY. Yes, it will take time. Ask Newbridge Networks or Lucent. Regards, Ed