Overstock.com: Bull vs. Bear

[mandy]

A bearish view of Overstock:

I have a confession to make: I am the Sith Lord that Patrick Byrne has cited as the mastermind of the plot to destroy Overstock.com  (Nasdaq: OSTK). I am finally ready to reveal myself and to challenge St. Patrick directly. With the power of Skeletor and all the forces of darkness (a.k.a. short sellers) behind me, I shall destroy him and the greatest company in the history of the universe, Overstock.com.

OK, so that may not exactly be true. But I do share the same beliefs as that Sith Lord who exists only in Patrick Byrne's less lucid hallucinations. There are two simple reasons why Overstock.com is the quintessential bad investment: Its CEO is not focused on his job, and it is a second-rate business in an industry where only a few big companies can survive...

full article: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/20...-bear.aspx

A bullish view of Overstock:

Some investors may prefer their CEOs a little more vanilla-bean than Byrne, but I don't mind. I met him once, and he's far more impressive in person than he is anecdotally. More importantly, despite the demonic theatrics, he has the company heading in a more righteous direction.

This past quarter was an important one for Overstock. It was the first time that Byrne's company posted positive EBITDA outside of the seasonally potent holiday quarter. Despite slashing sales and marketing expenses nearly in half, the company squeezed out a 3% gain on the top line. The reported loss of $0.20 a share was half the red ink that analysts were expecting (and a fifth of the previous year's deficit).

That's the kind of momentum you love to see...

full article: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/20...-bull.aspx