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Topic: Growth Stocks

ADOBE SYSTEMS $31.99 – Nasdaq symbol ADBE

ADOBE SYSTEMS $31.99 (Nasdaq symbol ADBE; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-536-6000; www.adobe.com; Shares outstanding: 496.1 million; Market cap: $15.9 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 its software to create print publications and web pages.

The company also makes Adobe Flash, which lets website developers make their pages more interactive by adding animation and video. Around 98% of the world’s computers have Flash installed on them.

Last year, Adobe stopped making Flash for smartphones and other mobile devices. Instead, it’s focusing on developing products that are based on the newer HTML5 Internet standard.

Meanwhile, Adobe’s revenue rose 9.9% in the three months ended June 1, 2012, to $1.12 billion from $1.02 billion a year earlier. The gain mainly resulted from strong sales of the Creative Suite package of photo-editing and desktop-publishing programs. Adobe also sold more software that makes online ads more effective.

Without one-time items, earnings rose 7.1%, to $299.6 million from $279.9 million. Earnings per share rose 9.1%, to $0.60 from $0.55, on fewer shares outstanding.

The company holds cash of $3.0 billion, or $5.98 a share. Its long-term debt of $1.5 billion is a low 9.4% of its $15.9-billion market cap.

Even with the higher results, Adobe’s shares dropped about 8% after its earnings release. That’s because weakness in Europe, where the company gets 30% of its sales, will likely slow sales growth. As well, Adobe aims to switch its customers to ongoing software subscriptions from one-time licence purchases. That should boost its longer-term sales, but the transition could hurt its results in the near term.

Adobe Systems is still a hold.

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