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Technology Stocks : Novell (NOVL) dirt cheap, good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DJBEINO who wrote (25584)	2/24/1999 5:11:00 PM
From: Spartex	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42771

To be sure, Microsoft's fortunes aren't plummeting. The company just posted a sizzling 38% increase in revenues and a 74% hike in earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 31. But signs of a slowdown in the server arena are unmistakable. Microsoft CFO Gregory Maffei predicted last month that Windows server sales growth will decline this quarter to mid-20%--down from 34% in the preceding quarter--due in part to stiffer competition from Novell Inc. (NOVL) and the Win2000 delay. Novell is giddy with its newfound success. For a couple of years it had been on the critical list. But Novell beat Microsoft to the punch with the September delivery of its latest network operating software, NetWare 5. And for the first time in two years, it reported double-digit revenue growth in its 1998 fourth fiscal quarter. Says Christopher M. Stone, Novell's senior vice-president for corporate strategy: ''There has been so much hype about NT, but people are starting to figure out that the emperor has no clothes.'' Or perhaps, the suit is still at the tailor's. Rivals are celebrating, but this shindig may not last long. President Steven A. Ballmer is planning a reorganization that will align product groups with customer segments--so Microsoft delivers the goods buyers really want. He is trying to woo back former Windows czar Brad Silverberg, known for getting products to the finish line. And Ballmer is crafting a new E-commerce initiative. ''Microsoft does best when it has competitive threats,'' says analyst Christopher Galvin of Hambrecht & Quist. Microsoft's next big growth spurt won't start, however, until Win2000 ships. The company aims to release its third test version on April 21 but won't say when the extravaganza will ship. Analysts predict a truly dependable version won't be out until next year. Sun's McNealy jokingly calls it Microsoft's ''W2K problem.'' businessweek.com