The Checkup

Kevin Landis, portfolio manager of Firsthand Technology Opportunities (TEFQX), gave us three iconic technology picks last year, which he believed would thrive in an uncertain economy. Here’s how his picks have fared since then:

Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is up 80 percent. The company continues to generate record sales through its line of coveted MP3 players, smartphones and tablets. For the first nine months of fiscal 2012, Apple’s revenue soared another 48 percent. What’s more, Apple delighted investors by announcing a quarterly per-share dividend of $2.65 in March 2012, and has $117 billion in cash and growing.

While Apple’s iPhone was second in the market to Samsung’s droid, Apple may soon dominate this field. A California jury recently found Samsung guilty of infringing on most of Apple’s patents, which may lead to a host of future benefits for the technology giant.

Amazon.com (NSDQ: AMZN) has gained 17 percent. Although profit margins are being squeezed—due to the extremely competitive prices and services it offers—Amazon earned $192 million in the second quarter of 2012. And Amazon continues to generate impressive sales numbers. In the first half of fiscal 2012, sales grew 39 percent to $26 billion.

Verifone (NYSE: PAY) is up only about 2 percent since then— and suffering a bit from “too-great” expectations. Despite posting a 43 percent rise in income and a 54 percent gain in revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, Verifone fell short of analyst estimates. The reason? A fire at one of the company’s facilities.

 

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