Microsoft: What to Do with Tech Heavyweight?
By: If you've been holding Microsoft for the past 3 months, you may as well have kept that money under your mattress.
Over the past 90 days or so the stock has moved about 0%. Over the same period the S&P had advanced about 5%. Apple however had declined 25%.
What should you do with this tech heavyweight?
Top trade Stephanie Link, director of research at TheStreet, is bullish.
She thinks at 8.8 times earnings Microsoft is a value. "It's just a cheap stock," she said.
Link sees plenty of catalysts to drive gains. "They have a strong enterprise business and they're making aggressive moves in entertainment," she said. Also the company has done a great job of returning cash to shareholders.
Although there are broad concerns about the PC product cycle, Link believes that's already baked in.
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Trader Jon Najarian, co-founder of OptionMonster is equally enthusiastic. He believes Microsoft has upside if only for their mobile strategy. "They're going the right way," he said on Halftime. "I like it."
Trader Stephen Weiss, managing partner at Short Hills Capital, just can't get on board.
He concedes that Microsoft is a safe stock and it generates a decent yield, but ultimately he thinks there are better places to put money to work. "In tech, I want growth.
I'd rather play a stock that's more expensive but is a better growth story," he said
What do you think? We want to know!
Trader disclosure: On January 24,2013, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to bementioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "FastMoney" traders; Stephen Weiss is long RIMM; Stephen Weiss is long TBF; Stephen Weiss is longAAPL; Stephen Weiss is long SCCO; Stephen Weiss is long QCOM; Joe Terranova is long VRTS; JoeTerranova is long AAPL; Joe Terranova is long GS; Joe Terranova is long AXP;Joe Terranova is long MS; Joe Terranova is long GLW; Joe Terranova is longDELL; Joe Terranova is long SWN; Joe Terranova is long XOM; Joe Terranova islong RIMM $17 PUTS; Joe Terranova is long AAPL $460 PUTS; Jon Najarian is long RIMM CALLS;Jon Najarian is long GOOG CALLS; Jon Najarian is long PAY; Jon Najarian isshort PAY Calls; Jon Najarian is long NVDA CALLS; Jon Najarian is long DNDNCALLS; Jon Najarian is long UAL; Jon Najarian is long DAL; Stephanie Link is long AAPL;Stephanie Link is long GS; Stephanie Link is long WFC; Stephanie Link is longCSCO; Stephanie Link is long SBUX; Stephanie Link is long BRCM
For Steve Milunovich
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