When assessing any stock, you need to weigh the risk against reward. Yet for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) shareholders, it’s a challenging task. To be sure, it’s really hard to see how much risk there is when Apple’s net cash balance stands at $137 billion — and is on its way to $200 billion in a few years. Management has started dropping hints that shareholder-friendly moves are coming, which usually means stock buybacks or big dividend boosts.#-ad_banner-# Still, even as Apple carries relatively minor… Read More

When assessing any stock, you need to weigh the risk against reward. Yet for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) shareholders, it’s a challenging task. To be sure, it’s really hard to see how much risk there is when Apple’s net cash balance stands at $137 billion — and is on its way to $200 billion in a few years. Management has started dropping hints that shareholder-friendly moves are coming, which usually means stock buybacks or big dividend boosts.#-ad_banner-# Still, even as Apple carries relatively minor risk, it’s not clear what kind of upside investors should expect either. As I noted a couple days ago, competition is gaining on Apple, which could lead to market share erosion and falling margins as price cuts ensue. Yet there is another major consumer electronics company that also carries a fairly low level of risk, but also offers the potential of significant upside. It’s a company that was the “Apple” of the industry before Apple took off like a rocket during the past decade. And it’s a company that… Read More

PC maker Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) kickstarted the era of affordable personal computers — and made many people very wealthy along the way. Then, it lost its way, eventually culminating in its recently proposed buyout. It’s hard to pinpoint precisely where Dell got… Read More

During the past 18 months, Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) army of software engineers worked feverishly to prepare for the tablet revolution. The company’s newest version of Windows was aimed at taking back lost market share from the likes of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq:… Read More

As the European crisis unfolds, businesses and consumers are forced to cut back spending on all non-essential services. Having enough money to cover the basics is enough of a challenge. From phone service to mail delivery to electricity, there are certain regular expenditures that simply can’t be avoided. Yet European… Read More

During the past 18 months, Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) army of software engineers worked feverishly to prepare for the tablet revolution. The company’s newest version of Windows was aimed at taking back lost market share from the likes of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). Yet as I noted in this article, the launch for Windows 8 has been underwhelming. Nearly three months later, this view still holds. Still, Microsoft has many other core strengths outside of operating software. Management should shift focus and ensure that each of these divisions has the right growth… Read More

During the past 18 months, Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) army of software engineers worked feverishly to prepare for the tablet revolution. The company’s newest version of Windows was aimed at taking back lost market share from the likes of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). Yet as I noted in this article, the launch for Windows 8 has been underwhelming. Nearly three months later, this view still holds. Still, Microsoft has many other core strengths outside of operating software. Management should shift focus and ensure that each of these divisions has the right growth drivers to take market share. With more than $60 billion in net cash just sitting in the bank, it’s foolhardy to stand back and do nothing. Here’s a look at three Microsoft niches and how the company can strengthen them through acquisitions of young, fast-growing firms that are gaining relevant traction. History has shown that the fast-changing technology landscape often produces tomorrow’s top-performing investments. And these are the kind of opportunities no investor should ignore. Server and tools It’s easy to overlook this division as it… Read More

In coming months, moviegoers will be treated to a pair of hagiographic films about Steve Jobs. In early April, we’ll get to see Ashton Kutcher’s impression of the legendary tech visionary. Some time later in 2013, a script Aaron Sorkin — the man behind… Read More

Investment bankers are a fickle lot. When the market takes a tumble, they tell their soon-to-go-public banking clients to withdraw their plans for an initial public offering (IPO). But when the market is stable and rising, as has been the case in recent months, then they scramble back to those clients, telling them the time to complete the IPO has arrived. As long as the market avoids an… Read More

Investment bankers are a fickle lot. When the market takes a tumble, they tell their soon-to-go-public banking clients to withdraw their plans for an initial public offering (IPO). But when the market is stable and rising, as has been the case in recent months, then they scramble back to those clients, telling them the time to complete the IPO has arrived. As long as the market avoids an air pocket in 2013, then the coming year could prove to be a very active period for IPOs. Indeed, we’re off to a good start: There have been $5 billion worth of IPOs completed thus far this year, according to Dealogic. The tech-heavy slate of upcoming IPOs will be led this week by a debut for Xoom, a fast-growing online money-transfer service. Here are 10 other fast-growing tech companies that are currently being cajoled by investment bankers to take the plunge. A few of them may end up in your… Read More

After 25 years of service, Leon Cooperman decided to retire as head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management in 1991. His retirement didn’t last very long. Cooperman quickly launched his own investment firm, Omega… Read More

After 25 years of service, Leon Cooperman decided to retire as head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management in 1991. His retirement didn’t last very long. Cooperman quickly launched his own investment firm, Omega Advisors. Two decades later, approaching his 70th birthday, Cooperman is outgunning his hedge fund peers, many of whom are several decades younger. His firm has now amassed nearly $7 billion in assets under management.  We don’t yet know how he did for… Read More

After 25 years of service, Leon Cooperman decided to retire as head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management in 1991. His retirement didn’t last very long. Cooperman quickly launched his own investment firm, Omega Advisors. Two decades later, approaching his 70th birthday, Cooperman is outgunning his hedge fund peers, many of whom are several decades younger. His firm has now amassed nearly $7 billion in assets under management.  We don’t yet know how he did for all of 2012, but according to this report, Omega Advisors was up 27% through the first nine months of the year. A quick look at his top holdings shows the fund manager is still very much on top of his game. These 10 picks, accounting for 38% of his current portfolio, are all in the black. (Note that many of these stocks… Read More

It’s always helpful to keep an eye on losing stocks. Whether it’s a scan of the stocks making fresh 52-week lows, or a screen for stocks that have fallen sharply in recent quarters, you may come across tomorrow’s… Read More