Two Software Leaders With Growth Ahead

Article Excerpt

SYMANTEC CORP. $17.07 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; SI Rating: Average) (1-408-517-8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 924.6 million; Market cap: $15.8 billion) is a leading maker of antivirus and Internet security software. Symantec’s best known product is Norton AntiVirus, comprising 30% of revenues. Norton continues to benefit from the growth of the Internet. Increased use of e-mail, the web and mobile devices guarantees continued threats from viruses. In 2005, Symantec expanded its product range when it purchased Veritas Software for $13.5 billion in stock. Veritas is a market leader in data storage, backup and archiving software. In the three months ended December 31, 2006, Symantec’s sales rose 14.3%, to $1.31 billion from $1.15 billion a year earlier (all amounts in U.S. dollars). Ongoing earnings (excluding one-time costs mostly related to the integration of Veritas) fell 12.1%, to $248 million from $282 million, due to weakness in its data center business and higher costs. Ongoing per share earnings were unchanged at $0.26 on fewer shares outstanding. Symantec…