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Technology Stocks : Semi Equipment Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Donald Wennerstrom who wrote (15486)	6/1/2004 10:57:51 AM
From: Donald Wennerstrom	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 95632

Wall Street Column host.wallstreetcity.com <<May 31, 2004 (Wall Street Column - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- TECH STOCKS: "We like the semiconductor group -- and the equipment manufacturers especially -- given what we believe will continue to be strained production capacity and robust orders across the sector. Semiconductor capital equipment manufacturer Applied Materials' (AMAT) excellent results for its fiscal second quarter recently reinforced our opinion. AMAT posted revenue of $2.02 billion, up 30 percent sequentially and 82 percent year-over-year. "EPS (earnings per share) was 22 cents per share, 4.5 times first-quarter levels and far better than the 4-cent loss in 2003. AMAT's results were well ahead of analyst forecasts, while gross margins grew to 46.5 percent from 43.5 percent, showing that drastic cost cuts the company instituted last year have begun to pay off. It also means the company may see earnings growth hasten even further in the coming quarters. AMAT's cash-rich balance sheet, superb management and moderate (for the tech industry) multiples of 5.5 times sales and 3.7 times tangible book value continue to appear attractive to us. And after AMAT's recent 19 percent pullback, this blue-chip tech stock trades near our buy limit of $19.69.">> [snip]