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Technology Stocks : Lam Research (LRCX, NASDAQ): To the Insiders -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jong Hyun Yoo who wrote (3848)	1/14/2000 4:24:00 PM
From: Wowzer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5867

And to think I bought this stock at 10 a little over a year ago only to sell at 14 a few months later which at the time thought was a great trade LOL. Amazing run for LRCX.... How high are you guys going to run this one...too the moon baby to the moon... Congrats to all who have held on to this one!!!

To: Jong Hyun Yoo who wrote (3848)	1/14/2000 5:19:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5867

Expected Rise in Chip Orders from 2000 Local chip assemblers are in the midst of a ramp up for an expected rise in orders from year 2000 and beyond. In Ipoh, contract manufacturer Unisem (M) Bhd has already begun piling for a 27,870 sq m plant expansion and rival Carsem (M) Sdn Bhd is set to purchase US$32.9 million worth of new equipment. Meanwhile, Penang-based Globetronics Technology Bhd and AIC Semiconductor Sdn Bhd have intensified their supply to their main purchasers Intel Corp and Atmel Corp, both of the US. The local semiconductor sub-contracting industry saw a surge beginning in early 1999 with many companies experiencing high revenue quarters. Local manufacturers continue to grow as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) divest and outsource the high volume, commodity-end of their businesses. Analysts have stated that they are bullish that the strong growth will stretch into 2002 on the back of strong sales in the traditional personal computer (PC) business and also increasingly from mobile phones, palmtops, digital imaging products and new Internet devices. Increased Growth, Profits Unisem rang up profits of US$29.9 million in the first three quarters of 1999 on sales of US$57.3 milllion. "We doubled our capacity and raised our staff levels from 1,200 to the present 2,000 in 1999," said Unisem chief executive Colin MacDonald. He said that the company expected an overall increase in profits of 50 percent compared to 1998 figures. "Analysts expect high double-digit growth rates in the next three years, especially since subcontract manufacturing continues to outperform overall semiconductor industry growth rates," he said. Unisem's main customers are in North America comprising 60 percent of its sales while the rest are from Europe, Japan, and the rest of Asia. MacDonald said the company's latest plan expansion should be completed in the third quarter of 2000 and bring on much-needed additional capacity to cope with the increased demand. TA Securities analyst Chie K Ngu also projects a healthy outlook for Carsem and its parent company Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd (MPI) with a forecasted US$382.7 million in revenues in fiscal 2000, up from US$264.9 million in 1999. He said that production capacity is expected to grow by 25 percent this year. MPI is also hoping to raise US$32.9 million through a bond issue to purchase new equipment including molding systems, wire bonders, die bonders and pad marking machines for its two plants. Ngu said that although MPI reported poorer profits for fiscal 1998 and 1999 partly owing to a wrong call on currency hedging, it is expected to see a turnaround in 2000. (Julian Matthews, Kuala Lumpur, Nikkei Electronics Asia, Jan. 2000 Issue) nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com

To: Jong Hyun Yoo who wrote (3848)	1/15/2000 1:10:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5867

Has anyone seen the upgrade price for Win2K? Sheesh, it's not going to leave much for DRAM upgrades. I think this is the only area of computing that has seen hyperinflation. news.cnet.com. Excerpt: Microsoft is adopting a new pricing scheme for those that buy boxed copies or Windows 2000 licenses. The desktop version, Windows 2000 Professional, will sell for an estimated retail price of $319, the same as it is for Windows NT 4 Workstation. The upgrade price from Windows NT is $149 and $219 from Windows 95 or 98.

To: Jong Hyun Yoo who wrote (3848)	1/16/2000 7:27:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 5867

Taken from the AMAT thread: forbes.com One Down, more to follow By Om Malik NEW YORK. 5:08 PM EST-Jerry Fleming has been tracking the semiconductor-equipment industry for over two decades, waiting for the industry to consolidate. On Jan 12 Applied Materials (nyse: AMAT) announced that it is buying ETEC Systems (nasdaq: ETEC) for $1.8 billion. Fleming thinks the merger will finally catalyze the much-anticipated consolidation. "We are fast coming to an era of 800-pound gorillas," says Fleming who tracks the business for Boston-based brokerage, Tucker Anthony Cleary Gull. Applied Materials announced that each share of ETEC will be exchanged for 0.649 shares of Applied, and based on Jan. 12?s closing price, Applied is paying $82 a share for ETEC. "If you are an ETEC shareholder, this morning you are pinching yourself," says Mark Fitzgerald, who tracks the semiconductor equipment business for brokerage, Merrill Lynch. Fitzgerald is among a growing community of Wall Street analysts who believes that, sooner or later, half a dozen companies with global presence such as Applied Materials and Novellus (nasdaq: NVLS) will survive. Among the companies being touted as likely takeout candidates by Wall Street include SpeedFam-IPEC (nasdaq: SFAM). "Given that Novellus is moving heavily into the copper-based chip equipment business, it makes SpeedFam a good fit with them," says Fleming. Novellus currently makes nothing but deposition equipment, which is used to deposit a layer of metal on a silicon wafer. But to continue growing and to remain competitive with Applied Materials, the company eventually needs to broaden its offerings. SpeedFam-IPEC makes equipment for CMP, a process step used in sequence with deposition. Second, SpeedFam and Novellus have already formed a loose alliance in competition against Applied Materials. Susan Crossley, a semiconductor equipment analyst with Van Kasper shares the view of her peers on Wall Street and points out that from a strategic standpoint, SpeedFam-Novellus is a marriage made in heaven. If complementary product lines were not enough, she says, there is a good management fit between both companies as well. SpeedFam's management has strong links to Novellus. Novellus CEO Rick Hill is on the board of SpeedFam. There is speculation about more chip equipment companies as well. Gasonics (nasdaq: GSNX) is another company that could be a good acquisition candidate, says Fitzgerald. In fact, most analysts believe Novellus can turn out to be one of the more aggressive acquirers and could team up with the likes of Mattson Technology (nasdaq: MTSN), and Genus (nasdaq: GGNS). Crossley does not rule out Applied Materials when it comes to making further acquisitions. Genus, and Nanometrics (nasdaq: NANO) are two companies that make sense for Applied Materials. ADE Corp. (nasdaq: ADEX), Veeco (nasdaq: VECO), CFM Technology (nasdaq: CFMT), FSI (nasdaq: FSII), and Semitool (nasdaq: SMTL) are some of the smaller names ready for picking. With their stocks trading at sky-high multiples, companies such as Applied, Lam Research (nasdaq: LRCX) and Novellus can clearly go out and mop up smaller names, Fitzgerald says. Applied Materials, for instance, is trading at $125 a share, or 38 times its fiscal 2000 estimated earnings of $3.27 a share, while Novellus is being valued at 34 times fiscal 2000 earnings of $4.12 a share. While the climate and market is ready for consolidation--now all we can do is wait for the deals to happen.