Topic: Growth Stocks

The Wall Street Stock Forecaster Hotline – Friday, May 2, 2008

Article Excerpt

FORD MOTOR CO. $8.27, New York symbol F, gained 10% this week after billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian offered to buy up to 20 million common shares (1% of the total outstanding) at $8.50 a share. If successful, Kerkorian would own roughly 5.7% of Ford. The Ford family still controls about 40% of the company through special class B shares, so a full takeover seems unlikely. However, Kerkorian’s involvement is a plus, as it should put pressure on the company to continue to improve results. Meanwhile, Ford is starting to see some of the benefits of its latest restructuring. In the first quarter of 2008, the company earned $0.20 a share before unusual items, compared with a loss of $0.09 a year earlier. Revenue fell 8.4%, to $39.4 billion from $43.0 billion. If you exclude the recent sale of the Rover and Jaguar divisions, revenue would have grown slightly. Ford is still a hold. BECKMAN COULTER INC. $67.14, New York symbol BEC, has acquired…