The Scandal Is Over But Worries Remain

Article Excerpt

Autodesk and Nvidia had to restate their reported earnings for the past few years to correct errors related to the timing of executive stock options. Fixing these accounting errors is a plus, but both stocks face some business uncertainty. AUTODESK INC. $44 (Nasdaq symbol ADSK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 231.2 million; Market cap: $10.2 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) makes software that engineers and architects use to design machinery and buildings. The company has completed its review of its stock option plan, which cut its pre-tax earnings by an aggregate of $34.8 million from January 1988 to August 2006. It is now up-to-date with its financial reporting. In its first fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2007, Autodesk earned $0.34 a share (total $83.3 million), up 70.0% from $0.20 a share ($48.5 million) a year earlier. If you disregard unusual items, it would have earned $0.44 a share in the latest quarter. Revenue rose 16.7%, to $508.6 million from $436.0…