Analyst Helps Spark Internet Rally

Positive comments from an influential Internet analyst helped spark a broad-based turnaround in Internet stocks Thursday on a day when stocks across all sectors recovered a portion of Wednesday’s steep losses.

Internet.com Internet Stock Index jumped 29.30, or 5.74 percent, to 539.90. The broader indices all had a good day as well, with the Nasdaq Composite jumping 69.32 to 2,434.60 and the Dow Jones industrial average leaping 167.61 to 9,834.45.

Alan Braverman, who earlier this month moved to NationsBanc Montgromery Securities from Deutsche Bank, Thursday initiated coverage on nine Internet issues with “buy” ratings.

Braverman initiated coverage with “buy” ratings on Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), which gained 16-3/16 to 139-7/8; @Home Corp. (ATHM), which climbed 10-1/4 to 146-1/4; Excite Inc. (XCIT), which climbed 8-7/16 to 133-5/16; Infoseek Corp. (SEEK), up 4 to 81-1/8; Lycos Inc. (LCOS), up 15/16 to 92-5/8; Verio Inc. (VRIO), up 2 to 45; Xoom.com Inc. (XMCM), up 2-1/8 to 71-1/8 and Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), which climbed 18-1/2 to 179.

Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. (EBAY) added 14 to close at 159-3/8 and America Online Inc. (AOL) gained 8-15/16 to 126-1/16. The two companies Thursday sealed a four-year, $75 million e-commerce alliance.

eBay also filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell an additional 6.5 million common shares.

Web hosting firm Exodus Communications Inc. (EXDS) skyrocketed 28-1/4 to 150 after ING Baring Furman Selz analyst David Levy initiated coverage of the stock with a “buy” rating. Levy expects the stock will rise to 175 over the next nine months.

MiningCo.com Inc. (MINE) rose 11-7/16 to 58-15/16 on its first full day of trading. The company’s shares climbed 90 percent from their offering price after debuting Wednesday.

Investors continued to be kind to Internet IPOs Thursday, helping the debut of OneMain.com Inc. (ONEM). Shares vaulted 17-9/16 to 39-9/16. The company plans to use some of the proceeds to continue its acquisition of Internet service providers in small markets in the Midwest.

E-mail marketer MessageMedia Inc. (MAIL) gained 1-1/2 to 7-3/8 after annoucning Pequot Private Equity Funds was taking a $10 million stake in the company.

On the losing front, shares of upscale Web site Millionaire.com (MLRE) plunged 1-3/8 to 3-5/8 after the company confirmed it was the target of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.