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STOCKS TO WATCH: Applied Materials, NetZero and 24/7 Media

2 min read

Expect the following technology stocks to be among Thursday's most actively traded issues: Applied Materials, NetZero and 24/7 Media.

  • Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT)

    The chip-equipment giant will be on the move Thursday after it easily topped Street estimates in its third quarter.

    It declared a profit of $603.8 million, or 70 cents a share, compared to a profit of $256.1 million, or 31 cents a share, a year ago. Sales rose to $2.73 billion from $1.49 billion.

    Analysts were expecting a profit of 68 cents a share in the quarter.

    "Our record results reflect customers' investments in expanded capacity to meet increasing semiconductor demand and in advanced technologies to provide more powerful, portable and affordable semiconductors," said CEO James Morgan in a prepared release.

    Applied Materials gained 1 9/16 to 72 1/8 ahead of the earnings report.

  • NetZero (Nasdaq: NZRO)

    NetZero will be active after it hurdled analysts' estimates in its fourth quarter, posting a loss of $26 million, or 25 cents a share, on sales of $18.7 million.

    First Call Corp. consensus expected it to lose 29 cents a share in the quarter.

    Its shares closed up 1/4 to 5 1/8 ahead of the earnings report.

    The $18.7 million in sales marks a stellar 400 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter, when it lost $7.4 million, or 65 cents a share, on sales of $3.7 million.

    In the quarter, NetZero added more than 900,000 registered users, bringing its total registered user base to nearly five million, a 315 percent increase from the same period last year.

  • 24/7 Media (Nasdaq: TFSM)

    Investors will be watching 24/7 Media Thursday after it slipped past analysts' estimates in its second quarter, posting a loss of $13.3 million, or 49 cents a share, on sales of $52.2 million.

    First Call Corp. consensus expected it to lose 50 cents a share in the quarter.

    Its shares closed up 1 3/16, or 12 percent, to 11 1/4 ahead of the earnings report.

    The $52.2 million in sales represents a 204 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter when it lost $4.7 million, or 24 cents a share, on sales of $17.2 million.

    Earlier this quarter, CEO David Moore predicted the company would find itself in the black by sometime in 2001.