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 : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: freeus who wrote (131182)	6/8/1999 6:17:00 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 176387

freeus: Here is a new article on Janus and Tech Stocks...Maybe you can clarify things...Last time I checked they still loved many of the leading tech firms (like AOL, DELL, CSCO, MSFT, NOKA, etc...). In fact, some of their smaller Funds like Janus Olympus own quite a few pure play internet stocks. Oh well, Janus is a very shrewd marketer and investor. I wouldn't expect them to make many changes to their approach to investing. After all in the last year Barrons rated them the #1 Fund Family in the country for performance. They didn't achieve that rating by being shy and avoiding the tech sector <GG>..Check out this article... <<Mutual Funds Jun 08, 1999 TAUB TALK: Is Janus Getting Out of Tech Stocks? by Steve Taub Is Janus trying the distance itself from tech stocks? You know, the stocks that have driven the fund company's huge success of late and served as a magnet for new investor money? It sure seems like it from the looks of its recent TV commercials. In the past couple of weeks Janus has started to air several commercials that very quietly and carefully suggest that the fund company is either planning to trim its tech exposure or no longer desires to be associated with the risky sector in investors' minds. Of course, this is not so coincidentally a period when tech stocks had already been violently correcting. This is a dangerous gamble for Janus, a unit of Kansas City Southern Industries (NYSE:KSU - news) . Afterall, thanks to huge stakes in tech stocks, many of its funds have ranked among the top performers in the past year or so. For example, Janus Twenty (NASDAQ:JAVLX - news) racked up a 73.4% return in 1998 and a 20.4% return in the first four months of this year thanks in large part to a roughly 60% stake in tech stocks like America Online (NYSE:AOL - news) , Dell Computer (NASDAQ:DELL - news) , Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - news) and Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - news) . Janus Mercury (NASDAQ:JAMRX - news) jumped 58% last year and more than 30% in the first four months of this year thanks to a 34% or so exposure to tech stocks, while Janus Olympus (NASDAQ:JAOLX - news) rode a 45% exposure to tech stocks to a 57% return last year and a 24.4% return through April of 1999 alone. And Janus Growth and Income (NASDAQ:JAGIX - news) , a supposedly conservative fund, had about 28% of its assets in tech stocks, enabling it to return about 35% last year. And none of these figures include health care stocks, another high-octane group, which accounted for at least another 10% of each of these funds' assets. As a result of its high-profile performance, in the first four months of this year the Janus Twenty fund hauled in more net new money than any other fund, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, just as investors have been busily bombarding the fund company with money to be invested in what they believe are aggressive tech-driven portfolios, the company's marketing machine is working hard to craft a totally different image. In one commercial, the firm plays up how its savvy analysts were able to dig deep and uncover the value in a cruise company stock. Not very high tech. In another, its savvy analysts supposedly visited a construction site every other week to assure that the project was proceeding on schedule. This dogged determination enabled Janus to get in on the ground floor, the voice-over tells us. Not too techie either. In another commercial Janus' analysts 'dove into the books' and 'questioned the projections' for a number of high risk stocks. When mulling merger mania deals, 'Janus gets beyond the hype' and 'stayed out of the feeding frenzy,' according to the voice over on another commercial. < P> Excuse me. Are we talking about the same Janus? So, does this ad campaign portend a gentler, lower p/e version of Janus? Is the company preparing shareholders for a departure from tech stocks? Don't count on it, insists Christine Benz, who follows these Janus funds for Morningstar. 'I don't see them embracing value stocks,' she insists. 'I spoke with Jim Craig (manager of the Janus Fund) two weeks ago and he said he is sticking with the stocks he has, which is tech heavy. I don't see them moving out of their core industries. People who send money to Janus will get what they are expecting-high p/e stocks.' Then what is the ad campaign all about? >> ----------------------------------------------------------------- Actually, IMO if most investors in tech stocks had the discipline and focus that Janus has, they would be doing pretty well..!! When you get your next Janus Twenty update, let me know what % is in DELL. Thanks. Best Regards, Scott