ThrustMaster stock dips after bad fourth quarter.(1998)

ThrustMaster Inc.'s internet-fueled Wall Street rocket ride didn't end this week, but it did lose some substantial altitude.

The Hillsboro-based maker of video and computer game devices saw its stock fall nearly $4, or close to 25 percent, in the three days after releasing what could only be described as dismal fourth-quarter numbers.

In 1998, the company lost money in each quarter, dropping a total of $9.1 million (a loss of $2.07 per share) after reporting revenue of $25.9 million. That compares to $45.5 million in 1997 revenue with earnings of $3.2 million, or 69 cents per share.

For the fourth quarter, ThrustMaster had revenue of $11.3 million, compared with $21.6 million in last year's fourth quarter. The net loss was $1.7 million, or 38 cents per share - numbers that were nearly the same as last year's fourth quarter. …