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Technology Stocks : 3DFX -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Chip Anderson who wrote (5641)7/21/1998 12:23:00 AM
From: Miguel M. de la O  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 16960
 
FWIW....Vector Vest says TDFX is worth $43, but still has a sell recommendation because of recent price instability.

Stock Analysis of Three DFX

Thank you for requesting an analysis of Three DFX from VectorVest ProGraphics. The ticker symbol for Three DFX is TDFX . TDFX is
traded on the NASDAQ.

PRICE: TDFX closed on 07/20/1998 at $16.10 per share.

VALUE: TDFX has a Value of $43.3 per share. Value is the foundation of the VectorVest system. It is a measure of what a stock is currently
worth. Value is based upon earnings, earnings growth rate, dividend payments, dividend growth rate, and financial performance. Current
interest and inflation rates also play an important role in the computation of Value. When interest and/or inflation rates decrease, Value goes up. When interest rates and inflation increase, Value goes down. Sooner or later a stock's Price and Value always converge.

RV (Relative Value): TDFX has an RV of 1.82. On a scale of 0.00 to 2.00, an RV of 1.82 is excellent. RV reflects the long-term price
appreciation potential of the stock compared to an alternative investment in AAA Corporate Bonds. Stocks with RV ratings above 1.00 have attractive upside potential. A stock will have an RV greater than 1.00 when its Value is greater than Price, and its Relative Safety (see below) and forecasted earnings growth rate are above average. In some cases, however, a stock's RV will be above 1.00 even though its Value is well below Price. This happens when a stock has an exemplary record of financial performance and an above average earnings growth rate. In this case, the stock is currently selling at a premium, and the investor is banking on future earnings growth to drive the stock's price higher. This information is very useful not only in knowing whether or not a stock has favorable price appreciation potential, but it also solves
the riddle of whether to buy high growth, high P/E, or low growth, low P/E stocks.

We believe that RV ratings above 1.00 are required to consistently achieve above average capital gains in the stock market.

RS (Relative Safety): TDFX has an RS rating of 0.75. On a scale of 0.00 to 2.00, an RS of 0.75 is poor. VectorVest looks at safety from
the viewpoint of an equity investor (one who is buying stock of a company) rather than that of a purchaser of debt (one who is lending money to the company). From this perspective, consistency of financial and operating performance, stock price appreciation history, and price
volatility are the key factors used in the evaluation of Relative Safety (RS). Debt to equity ratio, capitalization, sales volume, business longevity and other factors are also considered, but to a lesser degree.

VectorVest favors steady, predictable performers. All stocks are rated on a scale of 0.00 to 2.00. A stock with an RS greater than 1.00 is
safer and more predictable than the average of all stocks. A stock with an RS less than 1.00 is less predictable and riskier than the average stock.

RT (Relative Timing): TDFX has an RT rating of 0.58. On a scale of 0.00 to 2.00, an RT of 0.58 is poor. RT is a fast, responsive,
short-term price trend indicator. It analyzes the direction, magnitude, and dynamics of a stock's price behavior over the last 13 weeks; then reflects and projects the short-term price performance of the stock. Once a stock's Price has established a strong trend, it is expected to continue that trend for the short-term. If the trend dissipates, RT will gravitate towards 1.00. Should the price change dramatically, RT will notice the crucial turning point. When warranted, it will explode from a Price low and dive from a Price high.

All stocks are rated on a scale of 0.00 to 2.00. If RT is above 1.00,the stock's Price is in an uptrend. Below 1.00, the stock's Price is in a downtrend.

VST-Vector (VST): TDFX has a VST-Vector rating of 1.14. On a scale of 0.00 to 2.00, an VST of 1.14 is good. VST-Vector solves the
dilemma of balancing Value, Safety and Timing. Stocks with high RV values often have low RS values, or stocks withlow RV and RS values
have high RT's. How can we find the stocks with the best combinations of Value, Safety, and Timing?

The classic vector formula (square root of the sum of the squares) handles this problem. It combines a set of forces into a single indicator for ranking every stock in the VectorVest database. Stocks with the highest VST-Vector have the best combinations of Value, Safety and Timing. These are the ones to own for above average capital application.

GRT (Growth Rate): TDFX has a GRT of 57 % per year. This is excellent. GRT stands for forecasted Earnings Growth Rate in percent
per year. GRT is updated each week for every stock. Watch GRT trends very carefully. If the GRT trend is up, the stock's Price will likely
rise. If the GRT trend is down, the stock's Price will increase more slowly, cease to increase, or subsequently fall.

Recommendation (REC): TDFX has a Sell recommendation. REC reflects the cumulative effect of all the VectorVest parameters working
together. These parameters are designed to help investors buy safe, undervalued stocks which are rising in price, and to avoid or sell risky, overvalued stocks which are falling in price.

VectorVest is tuned to give an "H" or "B" signal when a stock's price is approximately 10% above a recent low, and an "S" signal when the
stock's price is approximately 10% below a recent high. High RV, RS stocks are favored toward receiving "B" REC's, and sheltered from
receiving "S" RECs.

STOP-PRICE: TDFX has a Stop-Price of 17.10 per share. This is 1.00 or 6.2% aboveits current closing Price. VectorVest analyzes over
6,000 stocks each day for Value, Safety and Timing, and calculates a Stop-Price for each stock. These Stop-Prices are based upon 13
week moving averages of closing prices, and are fine-tuned according to each stock's fundamentals.

In the VectorVest system, a stock gets a "B" or an "H" recommendation if its price is above its Stop-Price, and an "S" recommendation if its
price is below its Stop-Price.

DIV (Dividend): TDFX does not pay a dividend. VectorVest focuses on annual, regular, cash dividends indicated by the most recent
disbursement. Special distributions, one-time payments, stock dividends, etc., generally are not included in Dividend (DIV).

DY (Dividend Yield): TDFX has a DY of 0 percent. This is below the current market average of 1.2 percent. DY equals 100 x
(DIV/PRICE), and is expressed as a percentage.

EY (Earnings Yield): TDFX has an EY of 10.5%. This is above the current market average of 4.93%. EY equals 100 x (EARNINGS PER
SHARE/PRICE), and is expressed as a percentage.

EPS (Earnings Per Share): TDFX has an EPS of $1.69 per share. EPS stands for leading 12 months Earnings Per Share. VectorVest
determines this forecast from a combination of recent earnings performance and traditional fiscal and/or calendar year earnings forecasts.

P/E (Price to Earnings Ratio): TDFX has a P/E ratio of 9.52. This ratio is computed daily based upon Price and EPS. P/E = Price/EPS.

GPE (Growth to P/E Ratio): TDFX has a GPE of 5.99. This ratio suggests that This ratio suggests that TDFX is undervalued. Growth to
P/E ratio is a popular measure of stock valuation which compares Earnings Growth Rate (GRT) to Price Earnings ratio (P/E). A stock is
considered to be undervalued when GPE is greater than 1.00, and vice-versa. VectorVest believes that RV is a much better indicator of
long-term value. The RV of 1.82 for TDFX is excellent.

DS (Dividend Safety): TDFX has a DS of 0. On a scale of 0 to 99, a DS of 0 is poor. DS is defined as the assurance that regular cash
dividends will be declared and paid at current or at higher rates for the foreseeable future. Stocks with DS values above 50 on a scale of 0 to 99 areabove average in safety.

RISK (Dividend Risk): TDFX does not pay a dividend. All stocks in the VectorVest system that pay dividends are classified as having
Low, Medium or High Dividend Risk (RISK). Stocks with DS values above 50 are above average in safety. These stocks are classified as
having LOW or MEDIUM RISK. Stocks with DS values below 50 are below average in safety and are classified as having HIGH Risk.

DG (Dividend Growth): TDFX has a DG of 0 percent per year. Dividend Growth is a subtle yet important indicator of a company's
historical financial performance and the board's current outlook on the future use of funds.

YSG-VECTOR (Yield-Safety-Growth Vector): TDFX has a YSG-Vector of 0. On a scale of 0.00 to 2.00, an YSG-Vector rating of 0 is
very poor. VectorVest combines Dividend YIELD, SAFETY and GROWTH into a single parameter. YSG-Vector allows direct comparison of
all dividend paying stocks. Stocks with the highest YSG-Vector values have the best combinations of Dividend Yield, Safety and Growth.
These are the stocks to buy for above average current income and long-term growth.

VOL(100)s: TDFX traded 877800 shares on 07/20/1998.

AVG VOL(100)s: TDFX has an Average Volume of 719600. Average Volume is 50 day moving average of daily volume as computed by
VectorVest.

% VOL: TDFX had a Volume change of 22% from its 50 day moving average volume.

OPEN: TDFX opened trading at $17.30 per share on 07/20/1998.

HIGH: TDFX traded at a high of $17.40 per share on 07/20/1998.

LOW: TDFX traded at a low of $15.80 per share on 07/20/1998.

CLOSE: TDFX Closed trading at $16.10 per share on 07/20/1998.

% PRC: TDFX showed a Price change of -3% from the prior day's closing price.

INDUSTRY: TDFX has been assigned to the Software (Educ\Entr) Group. VectorVest classifies stocks into over 190 Industry Groups and
50 Business Sectors.

TDFX has well below average safety with well above average upside potential. It reflects a stock which is likely to give well above average, inconsistent returns over the long term.

The basic strategy of VectorVest is to buy low risk, high reward stocks. We suggest that Prudent investors buy enough high Relative Value, high Relative Safety stocks to keep the overall RV and RS ratings of their portfolios above 1.00. As you do this, you'll find that your risk will go down and your investment performance will improve. Not a bad combination.

Thank you for your interest in VectorVest ProGraphics.



To: Chip Anderson who wrote (5641)7/21/1998 12:25:00 AM
From: Mike Sesan  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 16960
 
For your info.

Just to give you an example of how much TDFX is day traded check out the following site if interested.

undergroundtrader.com

Mike



To: Chip Anderson who wrote (5641)7/22/1998 10:58:00 PM
From: Jeff Lins  Read Replies (3) | Respond to of 16960
 
OK, Chip and all youse guys out there in TDFX land- I am here to "spread my wisdom" as Chip put it. New trial member on the board (permission to skip posts- granted!). A quick intro: have been reading posts here for many months, and have been a regular poster to the Yahoo and TMF boards. Though both provide solid info on occasion, getting through the noise has been a growing annoyance. And since one of the better posters, Michael Flemming (Got2MuchTime) now has his own "column" I am considering the move to SI. I recently decided to go back to school and am working on a dual MS program in finance and accounting. The money I am managing (losing would be more accurate) is from my and my wife's IRA (from the good 'ol days when I had an income). Considered doing the SI thing a while back, and as it turns out, it would have been my best investment in some time yielding better than 50% return (lifetime SI has gone to $200!!).

Enough small talk! Here is some of my take on TDFX:

First, let me comment on Sun Tzu's comments about selling your TDFX: crazy. He quotes rules of value investing which can be found in any value investing book. I can produce more books which subscribe to the buy and hold theory. My best take (from lurking) is that not everyone here daytrades.

Next I saw mention of shares outstanding. Though I am not sure of the shares outstanding at the moment, it is a larger number than was used in the EPS calculation from the quarterly. The reason for this is that calculation of EPS is done on a weighted basis, and shares were sold intra-quarter. Expect the no. of shares used in the calculation to continue to rise until the meet the official number outstanding (something like 17.5M).

I have also seen concern for inventory levels. This is certainly a valid concern. Building inventory can be one of those baaaad signs for technology co's. TDFX's mgmt. met this concern with the "V1.5" thing. Now, what kind of a post would this be without a little conspiracy theory thrown in? Here's my theory: I don't really think that V1.5 ever really existed. V2 core and a single TMU is a Banshee less the 2D. Where would this fit in the current or future market? Ballard has said he doesn't want to confuse the customer. V 1.5 would have REALLY confused the customer. I get the impression that management is pretty sharp. I don't think they really made a V 1.5 blunder. I think they sandbagged some sales at the end of the quarter, used V 1.5 as an excuse, and if you were to check inventory on July 7 you would have seen a big drop. Did you notice how sales increased EXACTLY down the middle of their guidance 15-20%? Hmmm. Sun Tzu would refer to this as "Hope" while others would simply call it insane. For the record, my wife "hopes" that I am not insane, and would like nothing more than for me to get off of the computer right now!

Glad to meet you, and I promise to keep future posts more down to business.

Jeff