Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What is your recommendation on Dolby Labs? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

Dolby Laboratories, $31.14, symbol DLB on New York (Shares outstanding: 47.6 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; www.dolby.com), makes and sells audio technologies. Ray Dolby founded the San Francisco-based company in 1965. Its products are used in almost all DVD players and personal computer DVD playback software, as well as consumer electronics, including digital televisions, gaming systems, audio/video receivers and mobile devices. Dolby also makes audio products for use in movie theatres. In the company’s fiscal 2012 third quarter, which ended June 29, 2012, its revenue fell 5.1%, to $207.9 million from $219.0 million a year earlier. Earnings declined 16.5%, to $51.5 million from $61.7 million. Earnings per share fell 12.7%, to $0.48 from $0.55, on fewer shares outstanding. Weaker consumer electronics sales across the industry pushed down Dolby’s results. Dolby also cut its full-year revenue forecast to between $900 million and $920 million. That was below the consensus estimate of $944 million. The lower forecast and the weaker revenue and earnings prompted the…