STOCKS TO WATCH: Global Crossing, NVIDIA and VoiceStream Wireless
Expect the following technology stocks to be among Thursday's most actively traded issues: Global Crossing, NVIDIA and VoiceStream Wireless.
Global Crossing should be active Thursday after it beat the Street in its fourth quarter, posting a net loss of $617 million, or 70 cents a share, on sales of $1.54 billion.
First Call Corp. consensus pegged it for a loss of 89 cents a share in the quarter.
Ahead of the earnings report, its shares closed off $1.34 to $18.06 before moving up to $19.85 in after-hours trading.
The $1.54 billion in sales represents a 43 percent improvement from the year-ago quarter when it posted a net loss of $134.2 million, or 17 cents a share, on sales of $1.08 billion.
Carrier sales jumped 69 percent from the year-ago quarter to $3.11 billion while telecommunications services and data products sales improved 40 percent and 72 percent, respectively.
Company executives reiterated their fiscal 2001 sales target of between $7.1 billion and $7.3 billion and said current analysts' estimates calling for a loss of 76 cents a share in the first quarter and $3.01 a share in the fiscal year were "reasonable."
The graphics chipmaker will be on the move after it topped analysts' estimates in its fourth quarter.
NVIDIA raked in $31.1 million, or 38 cents a share, on sales of $218.2 million, compared to a profit of 19 cents a share on sales of $128.5 million in the year-ago quarter.
First Call Corp. consensus pegged it for a profit of 37 cents a share on sales of $215.6 million.
For the year, it recorded sales of $735.3 million, above the Street view of $731 million.
The stock moved up to $51 in after-hours trading after closing up $3.25 to $47.69 ahead of the earnings report.
VoiceStream may keep wireless companies from gaining after it missed analysts' estimates in its fourth quarter.
The company, which is being acquired by Deutsche Telecom AG, posted a net loss of $807 million, or $3.49 a share, on sales of $649.9 million.
Analysts were projecting a loss of $2.77 a share in the quarter.
Separately, it announced a deal with AOL-Time Warner (NYSE: AOL) under which it will offer AOL services, including instant messaging, to its customers.
Its fourth-quarter operating loss before non-cash charges was $273 million, compared with a loss of $46 million a year ago. Operating expenses surged to $1.2 billion, from $261 million a year ago.
The stock closed off $3.19 to $104.13 ahead of the earnings report.