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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron Dior who wrote (38543)	4/10/2001 2:00:10 PM
From: Jerry Olson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

RON have no clue on anything like that..and as for me?..i'm just trading the charts, day to day...i do not guess about stocks and their earnings... it's more important to ignore that noise and just trade whats in front of you... MOT is doing a DCB here..nothing more... regards oj

To: Ron Dior who wrote (38543)	4/10/2001 2:00:13 PM
From: Condor	Respond to of 50167

Motorola Rebounds Ahead of Earnings Apr 10 11:09am ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Motorola Inc. , which hit an eight-year low last week, rebounded about 13 percent on Tuesday ahead of the semiconductor and wireless telephone handset maker's first-quarter earnings report. Shares of Motorola, the most active stock on the New York Stock Exchange, gained $1.40 to $12.90 in late morning trading. The stock has plunged more than 75 percent over the past year, underperforming the Standard & Poor's 500 Index by about 69 percent. Traders said the stock's rise was due to a rebound from recent lows, rather than enthusiasm for Motorola's quarterly earnings, which some analysts have said could be its worst in 16 years. Wall Street analysts expect the company to post a loss in the range of 1 cent a share to 14 cents a share, according to research firm Thomson Financial/First Call. Results are expected after the market closes at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Despite two profit warnings and fears of liquidity problems, Motorola's earnings report serve as a barometer of the technology industry's health and will be scrutinized for any signs of improvement in a slowing economy, analysts said. Motorola, the world's second-largest wireless telephone maker, will be the first handset manufacturer and the first major technology company to release its first-quarter results. Analysts said they will be listening closely to gauge Motorola's tone in its conference call, and to glean hints about future performance. "They may not come out with any guidance since that's risky in this environment, but there are clues you can pick up on through tone ... In this environment, you have to read tea leaves," said one portfolio manager who declined to be named. Motorola last week denied a report it was having liquidity problems due to the amount of outstanding commercial paper. The report slammed Motorola's stock price down 30 percent on Friday to the lowest level since April 1993. Through April 6, 2001, Motorola said it had more than $4.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents. Outstanding commercial paper had been reduced to $3.1 billion helped by the sale of assets and a term loan. Merrill Lynch said on Tuesday it expects Motorola's credit rating will to be lowered, effectively shutting the company out of the commercial paper market, and raising its borrowing costs. Merrill maintained its accumulate rating on the stock, but raised the "risk rating" to above average from average.

To: Ron Dior who wrote (38543)	4/10/2001 2:18:28 PM
From: 2MAR$	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Motorola Reports -2: Balance Sheet Is Likely Focus >MOT Unfortunately for Motorola, its own hard times come against the backdrop of an economic slowdown, made even more acute because competitor Nokia Corp. (NOK) dominates the handset market in Europe, which is not suffering as severe a downturn as is the U.S. Schlesinger believes Motorola's first quarter handset sales will show the company is losing market share in the global mobile phone market. "Overall, we expect the company's market share to decline in (the first quarter) from the 14% plus level in the fourth quarter," he wrote in a Tuesday note. As far as global projections for both handsets and semiconductor sales, analysts expect Motorola officials to clarify their cryptic February projections, when the company said global handset sales would be below 500 million. In semiconductors, Schlesinger expects the company will reiterate its full-year guidance of flat or decreasing global sales versus last year. Wall Street will also pay close attention to the company's balance sheet and cash flow trends. Lehman Brothers wireless telecommunications equipment analyst Tim Luke expects Motorola will focus on generating operating cash flows through better management of its working capital. The company has announced plans to cut more than 20,000 jobs from its work force, and industry observers believe it may cut more. "We believe that it may take a period of time for these initiatives to take effect," Luke said. And much of the concern surrounding Motorola centers on the company's debt. Last week, Motorola denied that it might soon face a lack of cash, after such speculation sent its stock tumbling by 23%. Motorola's credit ratings were placed on the watch lists of major ratings agencies for potential downgrade when it issued the Feb. 23 profit warning. An analyst at Standard & Poor's told Dow Jones Newswires that a downgrade based on a cash crunch isn't imminent. That did not stop Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Ching from saying Tuesday morning that it is likely Motorola's credit rating would be lowered, raising its borrowing costs and shutting it out of the commercial paper market. The company did not comment. In the end, analysts don't expect Motorola's first quarter numbers or guidance for the remainder of the year to do much to lift the stock. "While we consider that at current levels Motorola may remain a longer-term value play, we believe that it may take some time for momentum to improve in both the handset and semiconductor arenas," Luke noted. Shares of Motorola recently traded up 9.1%, or $1.06, to $12.56 with volume at 26.7 million compared to the daily average of 14.3 million. . -By Johnathan Burns,Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-2020;