STOCKS TO WATCH: GlobeSpan, NBCi, PeopleSoft, VerticalNet and Wink Communications

The maker of chips for fast Internet access said it will split its stock 3 for 1 and reported an unexpected fourth-quarter profit, sending its shares as high as 145 in after-hours trading. GlobeSpan rose 11 3/8 to 122 3/8 at Tuesday's close.

NBC Internet will be on the move Wednesday after announcing after the bell that it will buy privately held AllBusiness.com in an all-stock agreement valued at $225 million.

The acquisition of AllBusiness.com -- which will join NBCi's ComFind business directory service and its Snap Business Network -- is a "major step" in the formation of NBCi's business-to-business division, the company said.

AllBusiness.com offers online services for firms starting, managing and developing their businesses.

NBCi said it expects to unveil additional components of its business-to-business strategy in the coming weeks.

Its shares closed off 3 3/4 to 91 3/8 ahead of the announcement.

PeopleSoft beat Street estimates in its fourth quarter, earning $11.1 million, or 4 cents a share, on sales of $372.3 million and frankly is quite happy to put 1999 behind it.

First Call consensus expected it to earn 2 cents a share in the quarter.

Ahead of the earnings report, PeopleSoft shares moved up 3 9/16, or 16 percent, to 26 1/16.

In the year-ago quarter, PeopleSoft raked in $42.3 million, or 15 cents a share, on sales of $411.3 million.

"The fourth quarter marked a much anticipated return in customer demand for PeopleSoft and our industry," said CEO Craig Conway in a prepared release.

In the quarter, PeopleSoft's licensing sales jumped 45 percent from the third quarter, with enterprise software licensing improving 37 percent and customer relationship management sales soaring up 68 percent.

However, services sales slipped 1 percent from the previous quarter.

For the year, PeopleSoft earned $21 million, or 8 cents a share, on sales of $1.42 billion, down from a profit of $164.1 million, or 58 cents a share, on sales of $1.47 billion in fiscal 1998.

VerticalNet will be on the rise Wednesday after it posted a smaller-than-expected loss in its fourth quarter, losing $15.2 million, or 28 cents a share, on sales of $10 million. It also announced a 2-for-1 stock split.

First Call consensus expected VerticalNet to lose 34 cents a share in the quarter.

The stock closed up 13 7/8, or 6 percent, to 252 1/8 ahead of the earnings report.

In the year-ago quarter, it lost $5.2 million, or 21 cents a share, on sales of $1.2 million.

Wink Communications posted a smaller-than-expected loss in its fourth quarter, losing $4.5 million, or 15 cents a share, on sales of $512,000.

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

Wink Communications shares closed up 3 5/8 to 61 7/8 ahead of the earnings report.

In the year-ago quarter, it lost $4.5 million, or 47 cents a share, on sales of $124,000.

For the year, Wink lost $18.2 million, or $1.06 a share, on sales of $1.6 million compared to a loss of $14 million, or $1.57 a share, on sales of $517,000.