Q. I have owned shares of Computer Associates for a number of years and have enjoyed a strong run-up in profits. Then out of nowhere, the stock was hammered by Wall Street this week. Talk about a real wake-up call Wednesday. When a company like Computer Associates drops a bomb, you can expect The Street to punish it severely, and declines of 30 to 40 percent could be common in individual stocks.
Employees receive a discount on stocks.
I have been deducting 10 percent each month for stocks. Just when you think it won't drop any lower, it does just that. It seems that no matter what Ma Bell's top brass tries, no one likes it. The company's not talking about it publicly, but The Street is and it's not in glowing terms. The concern seems to center on whether the company is more valuable breaking up its parts or not.