Quiksilver Inc

Quiksilver Inc. caught a monstrous wave Monday as Wall Street bet that the Orange County surf wear company could get snapped up by sportswear giant Nike Inc. Shares of Quiksilver jumped more than 46%. Although a deal would bolster Nike's position as the world's leading athletic brand, for Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver it would be an abrupt shift that probably would have been avoidable in a better economy, analysts said.

Meanwhile, Quiksilver Inc's active-sport line, launched 18 months ago, is doing well, according to Chief Executive Bob McKnight. The tennis shorts--think board shorts with pockets--are a hit with young tennis players. "The thing is, the kids were on the tennis courts wearing surf clothes anyway," said Chris Ganz, a Quiksilver sales representative. "The kids don't want tennis clothes, they want cool clothes."

Quiksilver Inc.'s stock began trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, closing at $19.88 a share, off 19 cents. The Costa Mesa-based surf-wear designer and snowboard maker, which listed 14.1 million shares of common stock, has been trading on the Nasdaq market. Its directors approved a 2-for-1 stock split in April. Its trading symbol on the Big board is ZQK.

Quiksilver Inc., the Costa Mesa designer and distributor of sportswear, snowboard wear and swimwear, posted a 15% increase in net income for the second quarter on a 29% gain in sales. The company earned $5.5 million, or 38 cents a share, for the three months ended April 30, up from $4.8 million, or 34 cents a share, for the comparable period a year ago. Sales rose to $78.2 million from $60.8 million. Net income for the first six months increased 17% to $7.6 million, or 53 cents a share, from $6.

Apparel designer Quiksilver Inc. will open five more company-owned stores this year, including one in New York's Soho district and one at Fashion Island Newport Beach. The three other stores will be in South Miami Beach and two in Paris, including one on the Champs Elysees. The Costa Mesa surf-wear company signed a 20-year lease for an 1,800-square-foot store on Spring Street in Soho, Chairman Bob McKnight said Thursday. It will open in June after a $500,000 renovation.

Quiksilver Inc.'s stock surged to a 52-week high Wednesday after the Costa Mesa designer and distributor of casual and sports wear posted fourth-quarter earnings that topped analysts' estimates. The stock rose 23.2%, or $5.75 a share, to $30.50. Earlier in the session, the shares hit $31, a high for the year. A total of 573,300 shares changed hands, nearly eight times more than the average daily volume for the last three months. Quiksilver said net income for the three months ended Oct.

Quiksilver Inc., the Costa Mesa surf wear and snowboard maker, said fiscal first-quarter profits surged 21% to $2.1 million, or 30 cents a share, from $1.7 million, or 25 cents a share, earned in last year's first quarter. Revenue for the period ended Jan. 31 rose 20.3% to $55.2 million from $45.9 million as sales of the company's apparel, swimwear, snowboards and accessories rose 15.8% in the United States and 27.4% in Europe.

Quiksilver Inc., the Costa Mesa surf-wear designer and snowboard maker, said Friday that its directors declared a 2-for-1 stock split, payable April 24 to shareholders of record April 16. The company, whose shares trade on the Nasdaq, also said it has been cleared to switch to the New York Stock Exchange.

When was the last time you saw a company's annual profits rise, its stock price soar and the boss get a 43% cut in take-home pay? That's the case at Quiksilver Inc., the Costa Mesa surf wear designer and snowboard maker, where co-founder Bob McKnight, the chairman and chief executive, saw his pay for fiscal 1997 fall to $532,000 from $936,000 a year earlier.

Quiksilver Inc. posted a 37% gain in net income for the third fiscal quarter on a 34% increase in sales, apparently spurring an increase in the company's stock. Quiksilver shares moved up 9.7%, or $1.69, to $19 on the New York Stock Exchange. The Costa Mesa designer and distributor of casual clothing and sportswear earned $4.1 million, or 28 cents a share, for the three months ended July 31, up from $3 million, or 21 cents a share, for the like period a year ago. Sales increased 34% to $78.