Symbol Technologies Insiders Get Active; Respironics Loses No Sleep

The recent recession has taken a significant toll on Symbol Technologies(SBL Quote). The company, which makes bar-code scanning technology, was just beginning to make inroads into the supply-chain management industry after establishing a dominant position in the retail inventory management arena. For a time, it had been one of the tech industry's bright lights, regularly boosting sales more than 20% annually over the last five years.

But after peaking at $450 million last March, quarterly sales have been slipping and are now expected to drop all the way down to $315 million in the current March quarter. That sent shares of Symbol, which already had been falling throughout much of last year, down another 30% in recent sessions.

Once investors start to look past the current weakness, however, they'll see a company that is well-positioned for an upturn in capital equipment spending, with a stock price that is too cheap given its potential. ...