Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Oracle Corporation (ORCL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dennis who wrote (9397)	1/23/1999 5:58:00 PM
From: lml	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 19080

Appreciate your response, Dennis. But I might surprise you to state that I am "NOT in the industry." I guess I decided to stick to ORCL notwithstanding the debacle a year ago because I agreed with the Company's vision & its conclusion counter to some major analysts that the database biz wasn't flattening out to the degree they asserted. Moreover, I believed that: (1) ORCL was uniquely positioned to (a) benefit from an Internet-centric computing model & (b) effectively compete with its ERP competitors that HAD enjoyed immense growth; (2) the MSFT SQL 7.0 Server threat was way overblown, & that no IT manager @ a respectably-sized operation risk his career "betting" on SQL 7.0, realizing that the "total cost of ownership" of SQL would not be limited to the upfront purchase price. Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I think that sums up my position. Granted, I do not discount what analysts have to say. The good ones undoubtedly move markets. But if you can keep "ahead of the analyst curve," your investment will do that much better. The "analyst component" is just another investment tool to employ since they DO IN FACT influence the price of the stock. Analyst input DOES IN FACT lead to under- & over- valuation of a stock. Last year when ORCL tanked -- due to certain analyst comments -- the stock WAS undervalued. Is it over-valued today? I dunno. Is it over-valued at $55? Maybe. But the analyst will tell you its worth $58/share . . . or $65/share. If you're less than a long-term investor in this stock, I wouldn't wait for the price targets to be achieved. IMHO, 85-90% of consensus price targets has been a good point to sell. But if you're more a long term investor, ORCL is gonna do just fine in the years going forward. JMO.