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Technology Stocks : S3 (A LONGER TERM PERSPECTIVE) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: ggda who wrote (8337)12/12/1997 6:37:00 PM
From: JerryP  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 14577
 
Hoorah for you, Jerry!

Originally, it was S3(Multimedia.... and about a year ago Frank started the "Longer Term Perspective". When things started getting lively about 6 months ago he added the "Shorter..." one. With the announcement of the booking problems everybody gravitated to this one.

I like your idea for setting up teams to do some research. Its really been hard getting SIII to respond, at least by email.

Someone was wondering what SIII's cash flow was and what they were doing with it. According to the link in post #8336, it looks like about 1/2 of it is going to go to CRUS. Also, note in that post the following from an objective outsider:
3-D graphics share leader S3 holds roughly 50 percent of the market and has
shipped tens of millions of controllers, but the company has fallen on hard
times by not being able to offer anything other than low-cost chips. That
misstep has sent the company's stock price tumbling. In the last year, S3's
stock hit a high of $20.12 and a low of $6. The stock closed at $6.13 Dec. 5


Now I know the doomsday predictors and naysayers are going to say: "HAH! OLD NEWS!!! $6.00!!! HAH!! IT'S DOWN TO $4!!! HAH!!!"
But look at the first sentence.....leader....50%

Jerry, I would like to see you or another calm and down-to-earth individual like, maybe Jan, to try and initiate some kind of dialogue with S3. It would be nice to know what's cooking. Though, I suppose, it would behoove them to play it close to the vest right now, and make a big splash in the news with a product announcement, so's to catch any potential competition with their 3Drawers down.

Gotta go,

JP

"Onward", George, and upward



To: ggda who wrote (8337)12/13/1997 10:00:00 AM
From: Dave O.  Respond to of 14577
 
< The "no design wins" rhetoric is getting old. The question for me is how long before they can develop a competitive, and hopefully best set of products. Where can we get that information? >

Before I sold my final shares at 7 1/2 I called S3 at least twice a month. I suggest anyone holding the stock try getting info directly from the company. Not sure who, if anyone, has replaced Sandy in IR. I felt I had a decent understanding of S3 and the explosive graphics industry. My current "reality" is based on expectations going forward. If I get flamed by others for being negative, accused of being short then so be it. But for newer investors, S3 has indicated Q4 sales will be lower, Q1 of next year will again be "tough", margins will continue to be under pressure, there are no new products until next summer, the financial irregularities do cast a cloud of suspicion over the company, litigation will cost the company money, the latest CRUS patent infringement may cost S3 money, the "seed" money S3 has put up for some of these startup companies hasn't seemed to pay off, much like Plato, Sonic Vibes. And I believe their cash position will erode to some degree. Are any of these facts? No, just my conjecture based on statements from the company, other sources and common sense. Every company has positives and negatives but I feel S3 has a lot more negatives at this time. When I first invested in S3 I felt the opposite; S3 truly was the leader, margins were considerably higher, ...... Good luck to those long, I'd love to be able to buy back in and recover some of my losses. I just don't think now is the time.

Dave