Ticker Talk

Shares of 3Com Corp. (COMS) rose 8% on Monday as investors scrambled to grab a piece of the company’s Palm Inc. (PALM) electronic organizer unit, which will go public in two weeks. 3Com climbed $4.69 to $67 on Nasdaq, bringing its year-to-date gain to 43%. High-profile investors such as mutual fund manager Tom Marsico of Marsico Capital Management have been snapping up the shares in advance of the initial public offering. 3Com plans to sell 23 million shares of Palm, maker of the world’s best-selling hand-held organizer, March 1. By buying 3Com now, smaller investors can get a piece of Palm, even if they are shut out of the IPO: 3Com will keep 93% of the shares outstanding and spin them off to shareholders about six months later.