Bargain p/e gives Symantec the edge

Article Excerpt

SYMANTEC CORP. $25.19 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-517-8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 690.1 million; Market cap: $17.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) sells computersecurity technology, including antivirus and emailfiltering software, to businesses and consumers. In its fiscal 2015 second quarter, which ended October 3, 2014, Symantec’s earnings fell 7.5%, to $332 million from $359 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings declined 5.9%, to $0.48 from $0.51, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue slipped 1.2%, to $1.62 billion from $1.64 billion. The declines are mainly because consumers bought less security software and Symantec spent a high 17% of its revenue on research. But the company continues to restructure, including cutting jobs and simplifying product lines. That should lift its profits. Symantec expects to earn $1.88 to $1.93 a share for all of fiscal 2015. The stock trades at a low 13.2 times the midpoint of that range. The company still plans to split in two by the end of 2015. One firm…