| To: Bald Eagle who wrote (1121) | 12/8/2002 12:57:45 AM | | From: Toby Zidle | | | | Who is supplier of customer self-serve checkout stations to HD? There seem to be conflicting press releases.
You quoted a release re Optimal Robotics (OPMR). Yet other releases give HD's contract to NCR.
"We have the largest backlog of orders so far, 2003 is set to be our best year," said Mike Webster, who heads the self-checkout department at NCR Corp. (NYSE:NCR - News).
The company said sales have bounced back from being down slightly after 2001's record year. It recently won a contract worth several million dollars from Home Depot.
Later on in the article...
The lackluster corporate spending environment has hurt Canadian company Optimal Robotics Corp. (NasdaqNM:OPMR - News), which initiated the self-checkout markets in the mid 1990s. Its sales dwindled and stock price slumped 80 percent this year.
Optimal Robotics blamed a general reluctance for food retailers to spend on technology, though some analysts say Optimal's woes may primarily be a result of stiffer competition. The bulk of Optimal's business still comes from food retailers whose margins are razor-thin, while its competitors have more diversified customers.
biz.yahoo.com
Similar news in a December 2 release:
Home Depot plans to add NCR Corp.(NYSE:NCR - News) self-service check-out stations at hundreds of its busiest stores, and is investing in new computers and software to help cashiers at its other check-out stations move customers through faster.
biz.yahoo.com
The HD shareholder probably doesn't care who provides the check-out stations.
However, anyone who read the PR release you quoted and entertained an idea of investing in OPMR (and that included me) needs to take another long look at the situation and find out exactly what OPMR is being contracted for. My thought is possibly some of the components for the NCR station, considerably less lucrative than a supplying the full works. |
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| To: Dennis who wrote (1128) | 1/2/2003 5:38:12 PM | | From: Charles W. Breaux, Jr. | | | | The Home Depot Comments on Outlook for Fiscal 2002
Thursday, January 2, 2003 05:02 PM ET
ATLANTA, Jan. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Home Depot (NYSE: HD, news), the world's largest home improvement retailer, today announced that it is revising its diluted earnings per share guidance for the fiscal year ending February 2, 2003 from $1.57 to between $1.53 and $1.55. The change in earnings per share outlook is due to slowing sales during the month of December, which lowered the company's expectation of a decline in comparable store sales in the fourth quarter to as much as 10 percent versus previously provided guidance of a decline of between three and five percent.
quicken.com
Chuck |
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| To: Bald Eagle who wrote (1135) | 1/3/2003 12:59:59 AM | | From: Mark Marcellus | | | | Depends on your level of confidence, and shouldn't be done without a long hard look at the numbers. There's no question that the business model is changing and the days of strong growth are gone forever. But we're getting to a price where the question to ask is "are they mortally wounded?" If not, you're looking at a solid company with a P/S under one, little debt (although more than is immediately apparent, thanks to the operating leases), and what appear to be decent margins and good cash flow.
FWIW, I bought some in the high 20's, looking to add a bunch more when and if we get to the low 20's. Looks like I'll get my chance, for better or worse. |
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