Two tech leaders: 1 buy, 1 hold

Article Excerpt

ADOBE SYSTEMS INC. $149.96 (Nasdaq symbol ADBE; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (408-536-6000; www.adobe. com; Shares outstanding: 493.4 million; Market cap: $77.3 billion; No dividends paid) makes software that lets computer users create, edit and share documents in the popular PDF format. Graphic designers also use its programs to create print publications and webpages. Adobe continues to benefit from strong demand for its subscription services, especially for its Creative Cloud package of photo-editing and desktop-publishing programs. In its fiscal 2017 third quarter, ended September 1, 2017, the company earned $1.10 a share. That’s up 46.7% from $0.75 a share a year earlier. Revenue also jumped, rising 25.8% to a record $1.84 billion from $1.46 billion. Adobe continues to move away from the sale of software as a one-time purchase; the company now gets 84% of its revenue from recurring sources (subscriptions). Adobe spends a high 17% of its sales on research. That investment helps it compete in a rapidly changing industry. However, the stock trades at a..