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Biotech / Medical : PFE (Pfizer) How high will it go? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Lamb who wrote (7052)	2/20/1999 10:08:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 9523

Condor Capital manager sees robust growth By Stephanie O'Brien, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: 12:07 PM ET Feb 20, 1999 NewsWatch NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Money manager Ken Schapiro sees a robust global economic picture continuing into 2000. His firm, Martinsville, New Jersey-based Condor Capital, manages about $260 million in assets. Schapiro employs a growth investment strategy, but bills himself conservative and risk-averse. Schapiro says there's evidence that orders in Southeast Asia are picking up. He also points to Latin America as a former trouble spot that appears to have stabilized. The U.S economy is strong and looks as if it will stay that way, he says. About 20 percent of the firm's holdings are in technology. The rest are in financial, healthcare and telecom stocks. Schapiro is also on the lookout for promising investments in Europe. The companies he favors typically have more than $1 billion in sales, double-digit earnings growth and leading positions in their market niches. The firm's portfolios have beaten the S&P 500 Index three of the past four years, Schapiro says. While technology stocks have been solid performers for Schapiro, the sector has become "a little pricey," he says. Among his favorites are Intel (INTC), which he says has potential for earnings improvement, driven in part by an improving outlook in the semiconductor industry. Schapiro has stayed away from many headline-grabbing Internet issues, preferring to look for the "picks and shovels" in the Web gold rush. But since his style is somewhat conservative, you won't find many Net stocks in his portfolios. Earlier this year, Schapiro "really loaded the boat" in discount broker Charles Schwab (SCH). "It's one of the few companies making money on the Net," he says. In the healthcare sector, Schapiro likes Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE). He's currently buying Warner-Lambert (WLA), primarily because he sees promise in the company's cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor, but also "because its pipeline is pretty full." When picking stocks, Schapiro focuses on two major considerations: its management and a company's market position. "It's key to make sure management's doing what it says it's doing," Schapiro says. He points to Boeing (BA) as an example of a company whose leadership wasn't delivering on its promises. "Management said it was turning the thing around. Every time they announced earnings, it was a disappointment." As a result, he sold. General Motors (GM), on the other hand, " has been the surprise stock of the year. It's a better value than it's peers," he says. Among financials Schapiro likes Citigroup (C). He sees improvements from cost-cutting and other measures leading to earnings growth. Schapiro also likes Wells-Fargo (WFC), which, he says "has one of the best positions in Internet banking." Stephanie O'Brien is a reporter for CBS MarketWatch. cbs.marketwatch.com