Software Maker TenFold Called Solid Bet Because Of Service Guarantee

TenFold Corp., a company that designs software applications for businesses, is casting itself as an emerging force in the banking market.

The six-year-old Salt Lake City company went public in May, raising $79.9 million. Data processor Perot Systems Inc. bought one million shares for $25 million, according to W. Christopher Mortenson, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown.

TenFold's sales pitch is intriguing, Mr. Mortenson said, because the company has developed an inventory of prefabricated software that can be quickly customized to suit corporate customers' needs "faster and better" than anyone else.

The company, which competes with traditional technology services firms, offers a money-back guarantee that it will deliver on time and on budget.

"There is huge demand" for such guaranteed service, particularly in the financial services sector, Mr. Mortenson said. "Typically these organizations build the stuff themselves, which takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money."

He rates the company a "buy," saying TenFold will more than double its revenues in 1999, from 1998's $40.2 million. The stock was trading midday Friday at $30.75, up 3% for the week. SIZE=9 WIDTH=9>?


Checkfree Holdings Corp. last week promoted a $100 million bond deal to generate funds for general purposes.The Atlanta company, which provides electronic bill payment and presentment services to banks and corporations, had withdrawn a planned secondary offering of stock this year, amid sudden turmoil created by the introduction of Spectrum, an electronic bill presentment venture of Chase Manhattan Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., and First Union Corp.

Checkfree's shares fell 24% on June 23, to $28.75. By contrast, last week has been one of its best as a public company. Shares were trading midday Friday at $61.0625, up 18% for the week.

Stephen Franco, an analyst at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, said there is no specific reason why Checkfree's shares are trading so strongly.

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