Replies to post #15192 on A.I.M. Users Bulletin Board (AIMUSERS)

[aim hier]

Hi Rick, I was a long time ALD investor, made a lot of money with it. I no longer own it, though I may reenter it at some point. If you check the short interest, you will notice it is unusually high, particularly for a high yielding stock. The short interest has been high for some time, and shorts for more than a year have been accusing the firm of accounting improprieties. ALD blames the recent criminal investigations on complaints from short sellers.

I have some concern over the accounting, but don't feel that the downside is really that great. If some bad news comes out and really knocks the stock down, I might buy back in. If there is nothing to the allegations, the stock would be a decent buy at the current price levels.

[The Grabber]

Hi Rick:

Do you have any worries about ALD's dividend

Not really. They just declared another 0.57 for holders on 3/18 payable on 3/31.

I saw that inquiry press release in December, but trust that their response vis a vis hedge and short seller pressure is appropriate for now. I'm not too worried.

Besides, I really don't own that much since I had a Sell in November. Right now, this holding only represents about 2% of my total value.

In 2004 I had a Sell, Buy, Buy, Sell. The dividend is just icing on the cake.