symantec

Here are some spinoff stocks that we still think have gains ahead. Symantec Corp., $25.26, symbol SYMC on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 690.1 million; Market cap: $17.2 billion; www.symantec.com), sells computer-security technology, including antivirus and email-filtering software, to businesses and consumers. Symantec plans to split itself up into two publicly traded firms. One will keep the Symantec name and focus on antivirus and security software and services. The other, called Veritas Technologies, will consist of Symantec’s information-management operations. This business makes products for data backup and recovery....

SYMANTEC CORP., $24.77, Nasdaq symbol SYMC, reported better-than-expected earnings this week. The company sells computer-security technology, including antivirus and email-filtering software, to businesses and consumers. In its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended January 2, 2015, Symantec earned $367 million, unchanged from a year earlier. However, per-share earnings rose 1.9%, to $0.53 from $0.52, on fewer shares outstanding. That beat the consensus forecast of $0.48....

WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $31.15, symbol WJA on Toronto, reports that its earnings jumped 33.8% in the three months ended December 31, 2014, to a fourth-quarter record of $90.7 million from $67.8 million a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 34.6%, to $0.70 from $0.52, on fewer shares outstanding. That was well ahead of the consensus estimate of $0.28. This was WestJet’s 39th consecutive quarter of profitability. Revenue rose 7.3%, to $994.4 million from $926.4 million....

SYMANTEC CORP., $24.77, Nasdaq symbol SYMC, is our Stock of the Year for 2015. In 2000, we picked Symantec as our very first Stock of the Year. It was well established as the leader in antivirus software. We felt Internet banking and shopping were sure to fuel its growth. Symantec was slow to get going due to the end of Internet mania, the 2001 recession and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It fell from our initial buy price of $6.63 to as low as $4.00 in 2001....

In 2000, we picked Symantec as our very first #1 Stock of the Year. It was well-established as the leader in anti-virus software. We felt Internet banking and shopping were sure to fuel its growth. Symantec was slow to get going, due to the end of Internet Mania, the 2001 recession, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It fell from our initial buy price of $6.63 to as low as $4.00 in 2001. We stuck with it, and made it our #1 buy once again for 2001, and a third time in 2002. By 2004, it had soared to $34....

CARFINCO FINANCIAL $8.80 (Toronto symbol CFN; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-888-486-4356; www.carfinco.com; Shares outstanding: 26.5 million; Market cap: $232.9 million; Dividend yield: 3.4%) is down sharply since mid-January from $11.25 to today’s price. The company provides car loans to consumers who don’t meet the criteria of traditional lenders, like banks. In November 2014, Carfinco’s shareholders voted to accept a friendly $11.25-a-share takeover bid from Spain’s Banco Santander SA (ADR symbol SAN on New York). The company’s directors and executive officers, who collectively own a 12.9% stake, also agreed to support the sale. But neither Carfinco nor Santander have announced anything about the $268-million deal, which was expected to close by the end of 2014 or early this year. Santander has been in the news lately with the appointment of a new executive chairman, a share issue to raise 7.5 billion euros ($10.4 billion Canadian) to shore up its capital base and a dividend cut....

J.P. MORGAN CHASE & CO., $55.93, New York symbol JPM, earned $4.9 billion, or $1.19 a share, in the three months ended December 31, 2014. That’s down 6.6% from $5.3 billion, or $1.30, a year earlier. The latest results included $990 million of legal costs as Morgan continues to settle lawsuits related to its role in the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Without these expenses, it earned $1.54 a share in the latest quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31. Revenue fell 2.8%, to $22.5 billion from $23.2 billion, missing the consensus estimate of $22.6 billion. Lower interest rates have cut the income Morgan earns on consumer and business loans. But the recent market volatility has raised its fee income from stock and bond trading....

PLEASE NOTE: Next week, Stock Pickers Digest will reveal its #1 pick for 2015. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to profit. CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL, $711.11, symbol CMG on New York, offers higher-quality food and better decor and service than many fast-food chains, and charges slightly higher prices. Under its Food with Integrity initiative, it uses naturally raised meat wherever possible. All of Chipotle’s naturally raised meat comes from animals that are raised in a humane way, never given antibiotics or hormones and fed a pure vegetarian diet....

SYMANTEC CORP. $25 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 690.2 million; Market cap: $17.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.symantec.com) began operating in 1982. It’s now the world’s largest maker of security software.

Symantec is best known for its Norton anti-virus software, which helps protect computers from viruses and online attacks. It mainly sells Norton to consumers, but it also has agreements to pre-install it on new computers.

In addition to virus protection, Symantec has developed a range of other security programs under the Norton name, including software that guards against identity theft.

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SYMANTEC CORP. $25.62 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average)(408-517-8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 690.2 million; Market cap: $17.7 billion; Dividend yield: 2.3%) is hiring engineers and licensing certain technology from Narus, a computer-security firm owned by Boeing Co. (symbol BA on New York). Narus has developed algorithms and software that can analyze large amounts of Internet traffic and filter out certain data. Its clients include the U.S. National Security Agency.

Symantec will use Narus’s technology to develop security software for corporations. Demand for these products should be strong, particularly after highprofile cyber attacks on Sony, Home Depot and Target.

Symantec is a buy.

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