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Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lucretius who wrote (273200)	1/9/2004 9:44:19 AM
From: MythMan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

Is this allowed? >>SBC Communications (nyse: SBC - news - people ) stock was hit by a Merrill Lynch downgrade to a "sell" from a "neutral" rating. The research firm calculated that, after striking a 2003 low of $18.85, the stock has since appreciated by 46%. During the fourth quarter alone, SBC shares gained 17.1%, while those of its peer Verizon (nyse: VZ - news - people ) advanced just 7.9%; Merrill Lynch noted that BellSouth (nyse: BLS - news - people ) shares rose 19.5% in the fourth quarter, but said BellSouth had shown evidence of margins improvement in its wireline business in the third quarter. The research firm expressed concern that SBC stock has risen sharply despite the fact that its wireline business has had margin pressure and predicted this pressure will persist throughout much of 2004. The stock, which Thursday closed at $27.59, was down 37 cents at $27.22.