Thanks for the responses to my question. I believe that the smaller caps will have greater appreciation %s because they are inherently more risky and therefore will probably "pay off" more if the expected recovery floats all boats. EGLS and GGNS have started to soar and FSII is picking up a bit, too. These are current examples of why I think the smaller plays should be considered at this stage.
UPDATE - National Semiconductor profit rises in first qtr
Thursday September 4, 1:07 pm ET
(Adds outlook, analyst estimates, background, stock price)
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Chipmaker National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:NSM - News) said on Thursday its quarterly net profit jumped while revenue rose slightly from a year earlier, after cutting costs and gaining market share.
The company, whose shares rose almost 6 percent, said net profit in the fiscal first quarter, which ended Aug. 24, was $29.7 million, or 15 cents a share, compared with $1.3 million, or 1 cent a share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose to $424.8 million from $420.6 million a year earlier. The Santa Clara, California, chipmaker had said in June it expected first-quarter revenue to be flat to down 4 percent from fourth-quarter sales of $425.3 million.
Analysts, on average, expected the company to post earnings per share of 12 cents on revenue of $417.8 million, according to Reuters Research, a unit of Reuters Group Plc.
For the current quarter, National Semiconductor said it expects to see revenue rise 4 percent to 7 percent from the first quarter, implying a range of $441.8 million to $454.5 million.
Excluding charges related to severance, asset impairments and accounting changes, the company would have posted profit of $34.7 million, or 18 cents a share, it said.
The company, which competes again Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE:TXN - News) and STMicroelectronics (Paris:STM.PA - News), launched a reorganization this year that included getting rid of businesses that were not key to its core competency.
National Semiconductor is focusing on selling analog chips that convert voice and visuals into digital signals in cell phones, digital cameras and computer displays.
The chip industry is showing signs of rebounding after a two-year downturn, the worst in its history, following an economic slump that halted corporate spending on information technology.
Shares of National Semiconductor were trading at $29.90, up 3.75 percent, on the New York Stock Exchange (News - Websites). |
