Short KLIC? G'ahead, make my day.
Being short KLIC right now is equivalent to being a front-line fighter for Taliban: you may have lots of bravado, but you are facing a painful doom.
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Performance of selected equipment stocks since 9/28/00 (when the linked portfolio was created):
KLIC +21.4%
KLAC -2.9%
ASMI -5.6%
LRCX -6.0%
NVLS -28.9%
TER -34.6%
AMAT -41.6%
AMKR -49.5%
ASML -53.9%
Group -22.4%
siliconinvestor.com
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and then we have these comments after the close today....
>> Kulicke & Soffa got an added boost from a couple of analysts.
"In the past, we have jokingly referred to Kulicke & Soffa as the 'canary in the coal mine' for exhibiting almost perfect timing in signaling cyclical peaks," Morgan Stanley analyst Steven Pelayo told clients. Now, he wonders if he's hearing chirping in that coal mine.
"Numerous recent data points suggest the cyclical downturn may be over for Kulicke & Soffa," Pelayo wrote in a research note.
The latest data released from the Semiconductor Industry Association late Wednesday forecast a growth in chip sales for the fourth quarter. See related story.
Pelayo raised his price target to $20 from $18, expressing his belief the stock appeared to be headed to $18 near-term.
Wells Fargo Van Kasper, however, went a step further with analyst David Duley boosting his rating on the shares to "buy" from "market perform."
Compounding the effect of the day's overall positive sentiment, the positive comments helped to lift Kulicke & Soffa shares (KLIC: news, chart, profile) $1.83, or 12 percent, to $17 on the day.
"We believe the combination of rising assembly utilization rates, increasing order activity across all products, a likely positive earnings surprise near-term, upward revision to consensus forecasts and a compelling valuation will drive KLIC shares higher in the -term," Pelayo wrote.
Upside for the company's wire bonder products could be "far greater" than the Street expects, according to Pelayo, who said checks indicate Kulicke & Soffa is preparing its Singapore factory for a wire bonder quarterly run rate of more than 350 versus Street expectations that are probably about half that level.
In addition to increased demand for the company's wire bonders, Pelayo said other product lines are seeing signs of life as the increase in utilization rates impacts its bonding wire and capillary products.
"Due to the rising assembly utilization rates, KLIC has seen continual sequential weekly increases in its run-rate products since bottoming in early-September," he noted.
Furthermore, Pelayo believes next generation chip design activity is driving stabilization and growth in KLIC's probe card and test interconnect products.
Although he left his below consensus numbers unchanged, Pelayo said he expects a positive earnings surprise when the company reports its fourth quarter results later this month, followed by a "meaningful" upside revision to his forecasts.<<
(from CBSMarketwatch). |
