Re: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans?


From: "Katherine Malm" <kmalm@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans?
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 11:04:09 -0600

Previous Article (by Date): Re: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans? "Tom Worley"
Top of Thread: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans? "Katherine Malm"
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Hate to say it, but there's no substitution for a good read of the 10Q's =
and 10K's in combination with a good review of past news stories. Any =
yellow flags in the news stories should warrant a deeper dive into the =
financials. Any "odd" comments or financial "oddities" in the financial =
statements can be noted and investigated. (I always head straight for =
the management discussion of results and the pending legal actions =
sections. Then look for odd accounting footnotes in the financials.) =
Can't catch them all, but without the due diligence, there's *no* chance =
of catching them. If a stock has too many yellow flags during DD, I just =
cross it off the list. There's plenty of fish in the sea. Despite all =
that, technical action usually speaks for these stocks long before the =
historical fundamentals "explain" the problems. Investors who don't =
combine technical/fundamental work miss the clues.

Katherine
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Tom Worley=20
  To: canslim@lists.xmission.com=20
  Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 10:52 AM
  Subject: Re: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans?


  so, how can small investors detect, much less avoid, these kinds of =
slick tricks?

  Tom Worley
  stkguru@netside.net
  AIM: TexWorley
    ----- Original Message -----=20
    From: Katherine Malm=20
    To: canslim@lists.xmission.com=20
    Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:45 AM
    Subject: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans?


    Once more into the fire. Think this will become the "year of the =
accounting case study."

    --Katherine

     This from Briefing.com

          Archives In Play=AE all dates  =20
          Date (ET) Archive Article=20
          Jan 22 2002
          11:06 AM In Play PeopleSoft (PSFT) 33.45 -1.89 (-5.4%): -- =
Update -- This is not the first time that concerns about accounting at =
the Momentum unit have been brought to light. On Jan 2, Briefing.com =
reported a Lehman defense of the stk following a 12/31 Bloomberg article =
indicating that PSFT might repurchase its Momentum Business Applications =
unit to avoid paying royalties. Lehman predicted that PSFT was likely to =
purchase Momentum for about $90 mln within the next few qtrs. Firm did =
not think there were accounting irregularities and viewed the issue as =
likely overblown.=20
          Jan 22 2002
          10:53 AM In Play PeopleSoft (PSFT) 34.37 -0.97 (-2.7%):  =
- --Update-- According to the San Jose Mercury article, PeopleSoft hired =
that subsidiary, Momentum Business Applications, to write new software, =
and Momentum, in turn, hired PeopleSoft programmers at a markup. The =
arrangement transformed the high cost of creating new programs into a =
source of revenue for PeopleSoft.=20
          Jan 22 2002
          10:49 AM In Play PeopleSoft (PSFT) 34.32 -1.02 (-2.9%): =
Accounting concerns again putting pressure on PSFT shares. The San Jose =
Mercury News reports that an accounting maneuver by former PSFT head =
allowed company to avoid crushing development costs. Six months before =
stepping aside, PSFT co-founder David A. Duffield transferred $250 =
million to a newly created subsidiary with just one employee and an =
office down the road from PeopleSoft headquarters. Peter Knutson, an =
associate professor emeritus of accounting at the University of =
Pennsylvania's Wharton School, believes the arrangement misled =
investors: 'It is within the boundaries of generally accepted accounting =
principles, but it is really an intent to deceive.'

        =20


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<DIV>Hate to say it, but there's no substitution for a good read of the =
10Q's=20
and 10K's in combination with a good review of past news stories. Any =
yellow=20
flags in the news stories should warrant a deeper dive into the =
financials. Any=20
"odd" comments or financial "oddities" in the financial statements can =
be noted=20
and investigated. (I always head straight for the management discussion=20
of&nbsp;results&nbsp;and the&nbsp;pending legal actions sections. Then =
look for=20
odd accounting footnotes in the financials.)&nbsp;Can't catch them all, =
but=20
without the due diligence, there's *no* chance of catching them. If a =
stock has=20
too many yellow flags during DD, I just cross it off the list. There's =
plenty of=20
fish in the sea. Despite all that, technical action usually speaks for =
these=20
stocks long before the historical fundamentals "explain" the problems. =
Investors=20
who don't combine technical/fundamental work miss the clues.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Katherine</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Dstkguru@netside.net href=3D"mailto:stkguru@netside.net">Tom =
Worley</A>=20
  </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dcanslim@lists.xmission.com=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:canslim@lists.xmission.com">canslim@lists.xmission.com</A>=
 </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 22, 2002 =
10:52=20
  AM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CANSLIM] PSFT: =
More=20
  accounting shenanigans?</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>so, how can small investors detect, much less =
avoid,=20
  these kinds of slick tricks?</FONT></DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>Tom Worley<BR><A=20
  href=3D"mailto:stkguru@netside.net">stkguru@netside.net</A><BR>AIM:=20
  TexWorley</DIV>
  <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
  style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
    <DIV=20
    style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
    <A title=3Dkmalm@earthlink.net =
href=3D"mailto:kmalm@earthlink.net">Katherine=20
    Malm</A> </DIV>
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dcanslim@lists.xmission.com=20
    =
href=3D"mailto:canslim@lists.xmission.com">canslim@lists.xmission.com</A>=
=20
    </DIV>
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 22, =
2002 11:45=20
    AM</DIV>
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [CANSLIM] PSFT: More =

    accounting shenanigans?</DIV>
    <DIV><BR></DIV>
    <DIV>Once more into the fire. Think this will become the&nbsp;"year =
of the=20
    accounting case study."</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>--Katherine</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;This from Briefing.com</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
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          all dates</TD>
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          href=3D"javascript:ToggleHeadline();"><IMG height=3D23=20
          =
src=3D"http://www.briefing.com/images/briefing/show_headline.gif"=20
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width=3D"78%">Article</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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        <TD class=3Dtd4g vAlign=3Dtop noWrap width=3D"12%">Jan 22 =
2002<BR>11:06=20
AM</TD>
        <TD class=3Dtd7g vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"10%" rowSpan=3D2><A =
class=3Dtd7g=20
          =
href=3D"http://www.briefing.com/scripts/ArchCal.asp?ID=3DIN"><FONT=20
          style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #eaf4f1" color=3D#000000>In =
Play</FONT></A></TD>
        <TD class=3Dr2 width=3D"78%" rowSpan=3D2>PeopleSoft (PSFT) 33.45 =
- -1.89=20
          (-5.4%): -- Update -- This is not the first time that concerns =
about=20
          accounting at the Momentum unit have been brought to light. On =
Jan 2,=20
          Briefing.com reported a Lehman defense of the stk following a =
12/31=20
          Bloomberg article indicating that PSFT might repurchase its =
Momentum=20
          Business Applications unit to avoid paying royalties.=20
          Lehman&nbsp;predicted that&nbsp;PSFT&nbsp;was likely to =
purchase=20
          Momentum for about $90 mln within the next few qtrs. Firm did =
not=20
          think there&nbsp;were accounting&nbsp;irregularities and =
viewed the=20
          issue as likely overblown.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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      <TR>
        <TD class=3Dtd4w vAlign=3Dtop noWrap width=3D"12%">Jan 22 =
2002<BR>10:53=20
AM</TD>
        <TD class=3Dtd7w vAlign=3Dtop width=3D"10%"><A class=3Dtd7w=20
          =
href=3D"http://www.briefing.com/scripts/ArchCal.asp?ID=3DIN"><FONT=20
          color=3D#000000>In Play</FONT></A></TD>
        <TD width=3D"78%">PeopleSoft (PSFT) 34.37 -0.97 (-2.7%):=20
          &nbsp;--Update-- According to the San Jose Mercury article, =
PeopleSoft=20
          hired that subsidiary, Momentum Business Applications, to =
write new=20
          software, and Momentum, in turn, hired PeopleSoft programmers =
at a=20
          markup. The arrangement transformed the high cost of creating =
new=20
          programs into a source of revenue for =
PeopleSoft.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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        <TD class=3Dtd4g vAlign=3Dtop noWrap width=3D"12%">Jan 22 =
2002<BR>10:49=20
AM</TD>
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          =
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          <DIV>PeopleSoft (PSFT) 34.32 -1.02 (-2.9%): Accounting =
concerns again=20
          putting pressure on PSFT shares. The San Jose Mercury News =
reports=20
          that an accounting maneuver by former PSFT head allowed =
company to=20
          avoid crushing development costs. Six months before stepping =
aside,=20
          PSFT co-founder David A. Duffield transferred $250 million to =
a newly=20
          created subsidiary with just one employee and an office down =
the road=20
          from PeopleSoft headquarters. Peter Knutson, an associate =
professor=20
          emeritus of accounting at the University of Pennsylvania's =
Wharton=20
          School, believes the arrangement misled investors: 'It is =
within the=20
          boundaries of generally accepted accounting principles, but it =
is=20
          really an intent to deceive.'</DIV>
          <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
          =
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Previous Article (by Date): Re: [CANSLIM] PSFT: More accounting shenanigans? "Tom Worley"
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