But I did want to pass along the fact that I have gotten long some Microsoft (in decent size). Partially as a hedge against my shorts, and partially because I think that if one needs to own a stock, one could do worse than to buy Microsoft. Certainly on a relative basis, MSFT is not particularly expensive, though I don’t happen to feel that 16 times earnings is cheap in an absolute sense, by any stretch of the imagination. But in this environment, it is cheaper and positioned better than a lot of stocks that the bulls tend to love.
Fanfare for the Common Stock?
Microsoft does have a bit of a catalyst, and I am not talking about the noise surrounding the Yahoo tender offer. Rather, when Microsoft reports Thursday afternoon, it should be clear that their enterprise-level products are being helped by strong adoption of the company’s SharePoint sever, which is a group of collaborative tools. If it becomes apparent that the Office upgrade cycle is being positively impacted by SharePoint, that ought to become a powerful catalyst. For those who believe (as I do) that “the network is the computer,” this is a way to capitalize on that trend.
All of this was brought to my attention by Fred Hickey a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping that as we approached Microsoft’s earnings report, the stock would maybe decline from $28 to $26. But it’s run from $28 to $30. Thus, I stepped up to buy some, as I’ve been a bit concerned that it might get away. Like I said, if I wasn’t short a few stocks, I’m not sure that I would own MSFT, although if I was more bullish on the economy, I most certainly would. In any case, it’s certainly worth passing along as food for thought.
Bears are buying MSFT – Fleck, Fred Hickey
From Fleck, fwiw:
But I did want to pass along the fact that I have gotten long some Microsoft (in decent size). Partially as a hedge against my shorts, and partially because I think that if one needs to own a stock, one could do worse than to buy Microsoft. Certainly on a relative basis, MSFT is not particularly expensive, though I don’t happen to feel that 16 times earnings is cheap in an absolute sense, by any stretch of the imagination. But in this environment, it is cheaper and positioned better than a lot of stocks that the bulls tend to love.
Fanfare for the Common Stock?
Microsoft does have a bit of a catalyst, and I am not talking about the noise surrounding the Yahoo tender offer. Rather, when Microsoft reports Thursday afternoon, it should be clear that their enterprise-level products are being helped by strong adoption of the company’s SharePoint sever, which is a group of collaborative tools. If it becomes apparent that the Office upgrade cycle is being positively impacted by SharePoint, that ought to become a powerful catalyst. For those who believe (as I do) that “the network is the computer,” this is a way to capitalize on that trend.
All of this was brought to my attention by Fred Hickey a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping that as we approached Microsoft’s earnings report, the stock would maybe decline from $28 to $26. But it’s run from $28 to $30. Thus, I stepped up to buy some, as I’ve been a bit concerned that it might get away. Like I said, if I wasn’t short a few stocks, I’m not sure that I would own MSFT, although if I was more bullish on the economy, I most certainly would. In any case, it’s certainly worth passing along as food for thought.
MSFT may be the best “has-been” tech stock ever (aside from MVIS). Still down 50% from the high, eight years and counting.
Bill’s net worth isn’t beating inflation. Odd, no?