Research In Motion | Symbol: RIMM | Stock Price: US$55.28 | Off 52-week high: 63 percent | P/E ratio: 18 | Market cap: US$31.3B | Cash and short-term investments: US$1.38B | Cash/market cap: 4 percent
One analyst, as reported by Reuters, believes Microsoft has a "standing offer" to buy the BlackBerry handset maker for $50 a share. Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek said the deal would require RIM's stock to fall to $40 a share before such a Microsoft bid would seem attractive.
While sales of Microsoft Windows Mobile phones are increasing, sales of BlackBerry phones are absolutely strong. But Gartner analyst Philip Redman still doesn't think this is a good move.
"I don't see Microsoft moving more into the low-margin mobile hardware business right now," he said in an e-mail. RIM declined to comment.
Yahoo | Symbol: YHOO | Stock Price: US$12.29 | Off 52-week high: 64 percent | P/E ratio: 17 | Market cap: US$17.0B | Cash and short-term investments: US$3.1B | Cash/market cap: 18 percent
If Microsoft was willing at one point to spend US$48 billion on Yahoo, why not spend US$31 billion just half a year later to get it? That's what one Yahoo investor -- not Carl Icahn -- is proposing.
Nvidia | Symbol: NVDA | Stock Price: US$6.81 | Off 52-week high: 83 percent | P/E ratio: 7.5 | Market cap: US$3.8B | Cash and short-term investments: US$1.7B | Cash/market cap: 44 percent
The graphics chipmaker has taken the steepest fall of any of the companies profiled here. As Barron's Savitz put it: "I know the company is troubled, but it now trades at under 1x revenue -- or about 0.5x if you back out the cash."