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 Ya gotta love Univision, baby
Univision (UVN-OTC) has found a winning franchise: Featuring beautiful Latina women on all of its television shows. And it works, because I'm hooked.
And I'm hooked on the stock.
Univision had the largest yearly audience growth in the company's history. It reported a strong 3rd quarter. The company reported substantial increases in net revenues. Net revenues for the company had a large increase in part due to the airing of the Men's World Cup Soccer Championship Games.
During the nine-month period revenue increased by 17% to US$487.8 million from US$417.6 million in the 1998 period.
Basic and diluted earnings per share increased also during the 3rd quarter. The shares increased to US$0.22 and US$0.19 respectively from US$0.06 and US$0.04 in the third quarter of 1998. The company also showed an increase in the after-tax cash flow. This increase was US$40.7 million in 1999 from US$29.9 million in 1998.
Univision scored high not only in the money market but also in the awards sector. This year the company became the first Spanish-language television network to receive a National Emmy Award.
 Fast times at Columbine High
Watch Sensormatic Electronics (SRM-NYSE). The stock is popping above US$17 a share. The reason for the recent rally is that school authorities uncovered a plot in a Cleveland high school. Eleven students were gearing up for a massacre based on the Columbine High tragedy. This should be a warning to every school in America.
If those eleven kids had been able to pull off the plot, we're talking about hundreds of deaths and wounded, not 12. In any event, this should be bullish for SRM.
Sensormatic Electronics is gearing up to be the market leader in school security. When these revenues are added to its retail security business, Sensormatic could generate in excess of $2 billion in revenues per year. The stock currently trades at a market cap of US$1.25 billion.
 Optimal Robotics returns Taipan a near triple in just six months
Without a doubt, Optimal Robotics' (OPMR-NASDAQ) U-Scan Express Self-Checkout Systems have been validated as a viable technology. Two recent agreements with Kroger and A&P -- for a combined 300 units -- have pushed shares of OPMR above US$30.
As an investor, I don't need any more validation than that that the U-Scan Express is a viable product in the market. With the increasing penetration of the company's self-checkout system, OPMR should rally above $30 a share. In fact, a break into the mid US$30s isn't out of the question.
And at a market cap of just US$200 million (still a relatively cheap valuation), OPMR is an excellent takeover candidate.
Please read on...
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