B2B Stockwatch: Look for Peak Performance from Multi-Platform B2B Companies.

It's been a pretty good week when only four of the 11 B2B companies tracked here are down for the period, and none by more than 2%. But that's what happened on last week's action, with VerticalNet--easily the smallest company listed here--showing the most one-week growth (+186.5%), suggesting that there's still a place in the world for tech companies that have survived the storm of the past few years. Looking ahead: With early ad growth prospects good overall, it's probably fair to say that, beyond boasting the strongest brands in their markets, the B2B companies that can benefit most from an anticipated advertising recovery will be those with multiple ad platforms--print, Web, newsletters, events, lists, etc. There's no doubt that media planners will be pickier than ever about where and how they use their (increasing) ad budgets, but don't be surprised if those B2B media companies, both public and private, with the most marketing options and the strongest mix-and-match opportunities perform the best.

 
 
Based on Thursday's Market Close (1/15/04) 
Company                  Symbol          Close      1 Week % Chg.  YTD % Chg 
Ratio                    Market Cap. $$ 
Dow Jones & Co.          DJ              52.29      1.10%          4.90% 
Elsevier N.V.            ENL             25.97      1.80%          4.90% 
JupiterMedia Corp. @     JUPM            5.59       -1.76%         22.90% 
McGraw-Hill Cos.         MHP             70.9       -1.00%         1.40% 
Primedia                 PRM             2.91       -0.70%         2.80% 
Reed International       RUK             35.45      1.00%          5.20% 
Reuters Group            RTRSY           35.28      0.20%          39.20% 
Scholastic Corp.         SCHL            35.31      3.10%          3.70% 
E.W. Scripps Company     SSP             92.2       -0.54%         N/A 
United Business Media ^  UNEWY           10.41      2.10%          18.30% 
VerticalNet #            VERT            3.38       93.10%         186.50% 
**B2B Index              --              48.5       -35.85%        -51.50% 
Dow Jones                INDU            10,623.18  0.70%          1.60% 
Nasdaq                   COMPX           2,119.01   0.50%          5.80% 
S&P 500                  SPX             1,143.94   1.10%          2.90% 
 
Company                  Symbol          52-Week High  52-Week Low  P/E 
Ratio                    Market Cap. $$ 
Dow Jones & Co.          DJ          ...