Symantec has more upside right now

Article Excerpt

SYMANTEC CORP. $23.02 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (650-527-8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 638.9 million; Market cap: $14.7 billion; Dividend yield: 1.3%) sells computer-security technology, including antivirus and email-filtering software, to businesses and consumers. Symantec’s revenue in the fiscal 2019 third quarter, ended December 31, 2018, rose only slightly, to $1.211 billion from $1.209 billion a year earlier. However, that beat the consensus sales estimate of $1.18 billion. Earnings per share, excluding one-time items, fell 10.2%, to $0.44 from $0.49. The drop was mostly due to higher expenses. Still, those earnings easily beat the consensus forecast of $0.39. Symantec and other cybersecurity companies have benefited as organizations worldwide set aside budgets to shield themselves from cybercrime. Severe attacks, like a denial-of-service, can cripple entire organizations. Malware and phishing often target individuals via emails containing dangerous links and attachments. The company’s underlying business remains strong, and the stock is attractive at just 14.4 times Symantec’s forecast earnings of $1.60 a share for 2019. The annual dividend rate of…