Symantec is a buy, Adobe is a hold

Article Excerpt

ADOBE SYSTEMS INC. $34.87 (Nasdaq symbol ADBE; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-536-6000; www.adobe.com; Shares outstanding: 504.5 million; Market cap: $17.5 billion; No dividends paid) makes software that lets computer users create, edit and share documents in the popular PDF format. As well, graphic designers use Adobe’s software to create print publications and web pages. The company also makes Adobe Flash, which lets web site developers make web pages more interactive by adding animation and video. Computer users can download Adobe’s Flash Player viewer for free. In its fiscal 2011 first quarter, which ended March 4, 2011, Adobe earned $298.1 million. That’s up 40.8% from $211.7 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 45.0%, to $0.58 from $0.40, on fewer shares outstanding. These figures exclude several unusual items, such as gains on investment sales and income-tax adjustments. Revenue rose 19.7%, to a record $1.03 billion from $858.7 million. The company continues to see strong sales of its Creative Suite 5 package of photo-editing and desktop-publishing…