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Technology Stocks : Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates -- VSEA -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: etchmeister who wrote (1730)9/12/2005 8:17:13 AM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 1929
 
Varian Semiconductor voted best equipment supplier in Taiwan

Press release, Editor, DigiTimes.com, Taipei [Monday 12 September 2005]

VLSI Research announced Friday that Varian Semiconductor came out on top in its annual customer satisfaction survey. The survey asked equipment users to rate equipment suppliers on thirteen criteria. The top-rated equipment suppliers received high scores from Taiwanese customers in several areas. Three of these companies – Variant, Agilent, and Hitachi High-Technologies – received their best ratings in the uptime criteria. Another three, Tokyo Electron, Teradyne, and Nikon received their highest marks in technical leadership. Credence’s best category was support after sales. ASM International earned its top ratings in process support. Customers rated Advantest’s quality of results as its strongest criteria. Applied Materials garnered its highest ratings in usable throughput.

2005 Best customer-rated equipment suppliers in Taiwan

Rank
Company
Overall rating

1
Varian Semiconductor
9.44

2
Credence Systems Corporation
8.21

3
Agilent Technologies
7.80

4
ASM International
7.79

5
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
7.65

6
Tokyo Electron Limited
7.43

7
Advantest
7.26

8
Applied Materials
7.26

9
Teradyne
7.09

10
Nikon Corporation
6.98


Source: VLSI Research, September 2005.




To: etchmeister who wrote (1730)9/13/2005 8:52:44 AM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 1929
 
To: John Carragher who wrote (25300) 9/13/2005 8:22:57 AM
From: sixty2nds Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 25305

07:52 VSEA Varian Semi: Market Share Gains Continue to Pace Outperformance in Group; Maintain Buy - Legg Mason (44.08 )

Legg Mason notes they recently completed their channel checks and spent some time with management getting an update on the industry landscape and Varian's current competitive positioning. In terms of the current quarter, the firm believes that things are tracking as planned, with memory orders continuing to provide near-term support. The firm continues to believe that Varian remains one of the most fundamentally sound companies in our coverage universe and should continue to outperform the group as we head into 2006. In the firm's opinion, the high current market share opportunities that they have discussed in the past will transpire in 2006, particularly in Japan, where Varian has historically lacked exposure. In total, the firm expects Varian to emerge as the high current market share leader in 2005 and continue to grow this share in 2006. Although the stock has had a sharp rise since hitting a low on April 15th (33% gain), the firm believes potential upside appreciation still exists. The firm reiterates its Buy rating and its $53 target price on the shares, based on 20x its CY06 EPS estimate of $2.65.



To: etchmeister who wrote (1730)10/13/2005 11:37:50 AM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 1929
 
10:11AM 50 Day-Alert -- Varian Semi jumps to fresh session high of 43.16, probes its 50 day sma and this wk's high at 43.21/43.25 (VSEA) 43.00 +1.65: -Technical-



To: etchmeister who wrote (1730)10/27/2005 4:59:02 PM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 1929
 
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Reports Fiscal 2005 and Fourth Quarter Results
Thursday October 27, 4:25 pm ET

GLOUCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 2005--Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. ("Varian Semiconductor") (Nasdaq: VSEA - News) today announced results for its fiscal 2005 and fourth quarter ended September 30, 2005.

Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005 totaled $146.3 million, compared to revenue of $154.8 million for the same period a year ago. Varian Semiconductor recorded net income of $13.6 million, or $0.36 per diluted share during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005, compared to net income of $23.0 million, or $0.62 per diluted share for the same period a year ago.

Revenue for fiscal 2005 totaled $600.5 million, compared to revenue of $530.1 million for fiscal 2004. Varian Semiconductor recorded net income of $72.0 million, or $1.92 per diluted share for fiscal 2005, compared to net income of $61.1 million, or $1.65 per diluted share for fiscal 2004.

Gary Dickerson, Varian Semiconductor's chief executive officer, said, "We are encouraged by our continued momentum in gaining market share, especially in the high current implant segment, as evidenced by our recent selections at a major Japanese chipmaker and at a major North American logic manufacturer. Furthermore, at the 65nm node, customer evaluations of our tools are proceeding well, and the outlook for additional selections is positive. We estimate that our 2005 calendar year market share will approximate 40% for both high current and overall implant business."

Robert Halliday, chief financial officer, provided forward guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2006. "We currently expect revenue to be between $150 and $160 million. Earnings per share are anticipated to range from $0.30 to $0.38 per diluted share, excluding stock-based compensation costs and the impact of an anticipated tax benefit. The impact from the new accounting pronouncement related to stock-based compensation is expected to range from $0.05 to $0.07 per diluted share. Additionally, in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, we anticipate recognizing a tax benefit of $0.21 to $0.30 per diluted share related to the favorable conclusion of a multi-year tax examination."

Varian Semiconductor will hold a conference call, broadcast over the Internet, at 5:30 p.m. eastern time today to discuss Varian Semiconductor's operating results and outlook. Access to the call is available through the investor relations page on Varian Semiconductor's website at www.vsea.com. Replays will be available via the website for two weeks after the call.

About Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Varian Semiconductor is the leading producer of ion implantation equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors. Varian Semiconductor is headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and operates worldwide. Varian Semiconductor maintains a website at www.vsea.com. The information contained in Varian Semiconductor's website is not incorporated by reference into this release, and the website address is included in this release as an inactive textual reference only.

Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, statements concerning the industry outlook, Varian Semiconductor's guidance for first quarter fiscal 2006 revenue, gross margin and earnings per share, market share, competitive position, expected first quarter fiscal 2006 product shipments, and any statements using the terms "believes," "anticipates," "will," "expects," "plans" or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: volatility in the semiconductor equipment industry; intense competition in the semiconductor equipment industry; Varian Semiconductor's dependence on a small number of customers; fluctuations in Varian Semiconductor's quarterly operating results; Varian Semiconductor's transition to new products; Varian Semiconductor's exposure to risks of operating internationally; uncertain protection of Varian Semiconductor's patent and other proprietary rights; Varian Semiconductor's reliance on a limited group of suppliers; potential environmental liabilities; Varian Semiconductor's ability to manage potential growth, decline and strategic transactions; Varian Semiconductor's reliance on one primary manufacturing facility; Varian Semiconductor's dependence on certain key personnel; and the risk of substantial indemnification obligations under the agreements governing the spin-off of Varian Semiconductor from Varian Associates, Inc. on April 2, 1999. These and other important risk factors that may affect actual results are discussed in detail under the caption "Risk Factors" in Varian Semiconductor's Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports filed by Varian Semiconductor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Varian Semiconductor cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. Varian Semiconductor undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

This press release includes, within Varian Semiconductor's forward guidance, a non-GAAP measure of earnings per share. The non-GAAP earnings per share excludes stock-based compensation costs and the impact of an anticipated tax benefit. To be comparable with fiscal 2005 fourth quarter results, the earnings per share forward guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2006 excludes stock-based compensation costs, a direct result of the implementation of FAS 123®, which is effective for Varian Semiconductor on October 1, 2005. The forward guidance also excludes the impact of the anticipated tax benefit as it is a non-recurring event. Management believes that investors may find it useful for these items to be excluded. The reconciliation of GAAP earnings per share is as follows:

First Quarter Fiscal 2006 Guidance

Low High

Non-GAAP EPS Range $0.30 $0.38
Stock-Based Compensation (0.05) (0.07)
Anticipated Tax Benefit 0.21 0.30
GAAP EPS Range $0.46 $0.61

VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In thousands, except per share amounts)

Fiscal Fiscal
Three Months Ended Year Ended
Sept. 30, Oct. 1, Sept. 30, Oct. 1,
2005 2004 2005 2004
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Revenue
Product $ 121,360 $ 133,351 $ 488,719 $ 456,217
Service 23,494 19,650 84,078 65,947
Royalty 1,455 1,804 27,724 7,945
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Total revenue 146,309 154,805 600,521 530,109
Cost of revenue 82,466 81,992 331,814 290,269
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Gross profit 63,843 72,813 268,707 239,840
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Operating expenses
Research and
development 20,580 16,995 77,661 67,715
Marketing, general
& administrative 26,930 23,059 104,883 85,615
Restructuring costs -- -- 914 --
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Total operating
expenses 47,510 40,054 183,458 153,330
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Operating
income 16,333 32,759 85,249 86,510
Interest income, net 3,413 1,507 16,348 4,277
Other income
(expense), net 11 (425) 2,765 (923)
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Income before income
taxes 19,757 33,841 104,362 89,864
Provision for income
taxes 6,125 10,829 32,352 28,756
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Net income $ 13,632 $ 23,012 $ 72,010 $ 61,108
=========== =========== =========== ===========
Weighted average
shares outstanding -
basic 37,397 36,390 36,813 36,085
Weighted average
shares outstanding -
diluted 38,235 36,944 37,597 36,978
Net income per
share - basic $ 0.36 $ 0.63 $ 1.96 $ 1.69
Net income per
share -
diluted $ 0.36 $ 0.62 $ 1.92 $ 1.65

VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)

September 30, October 1,
2005 2004
-------------- -------------
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 193,426 $ 218,578
Short-term investments 280,646 173,891
Accounts receivable, net 123,612 123,749
Inventories 127,374 99,356
Deferred income taxes 30,865 27,691
Other current assets 32,796 38,482
-------------- -------------
Total current assets 788,719 681,747
Property, plant and equipment, net 58,435 52,344
Other assets 15,665 15,405
-------------- -------------
Total assets $ 862,819 $ 749,496
============== =============

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities
Notes payable and current portion
of long-term debt $ 426 $ 4,016
Accounts payable 33,272 34,134
Accrued expenses 59,280 53,234
Product warranty 8,585 7,841
Deferred revenue 52,118 54,509
-------------- -------------
Total current liabilities 153,681 153,734
Long-term accrued expenses 10,849 10,905
Deferred income taxes 5,477 4,615
Long-term debt 3,736 4,162
-------------- -------------
Total liabilities 173,743 173,416
-------------- -------------

Stockholders' equity
Common stock 380 364
Capital in excess of par value 382,445 331,701
Retained earnings 316,330 244,320
Deferred compensation (9,366) (149)
Accumulated other comprehensive
loss (713) (156)
-------------- -------------
Total stockholders' equity 689,076 576,080
-------------- -------------
Total liabilities and
stockholders' equity $ 862,819 $ 749,496
============== =============
Backlog $ 166,637 $ 184,370
============== =============

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.



To: etchmeister who wrote (1730)10/27/2005 4:59:58 PM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 1929
 
Varian Semiconductor's Single Wafer High Current Ion Implanter Chosen as Tool of Record at Major North American Semiconductor Manufacturer
Thursday October 27, 4:15 pm ET

GLOUCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 2005--Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSEA - News) announced today that its VIISta single wafer high current tools have been chosen as the tool of record at a major North American logic semiconductor manufacturer.

"After a thorough review of all competitive products, this customer chose the VIISta single wafer high current tools based on a number of factors," said Gary Dickerson, Varian Semiconductor's chief executive officer. Dickerson continued, "Best device performance, high productivity and low particle contamination were all key reasons for this customer to select the VIISta high current products as their tool of record for 90nm and 65nm production and 45nm device development. These key architectural advantages are critical to semiconductor manufacturers to meet their future process development needs."

The global shift to single wafer ion implanters is driven by both the sensitivity of advanced devices to contamination and the requirement for precise implant angle accuracy. The VIISta single wafer high current ion implanters are the only systems featuring a dual magnet ribbon beam architecture that provides the highest productivity and lowest contamination levels in the industry. In addition, the VIISta high current tools' unique closed-loop Varian Positioning System (VPS(TM)) offers interlockable angle control for true zero degree applications. These features, combined with repeatable, patented beam steering control, assure the precise dopant placement required in sub-65nm devices. The VIISta high current tools are a key part of the VIISta suite of ion implanters - the only production proven single wafer platform solution for all implant segments, with over 350 systems in production worldwide.

About Varian Semiconductor

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. is the leading producer of ion implantation equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors. The Company is headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and operates worldwide. Varian Semiconductor maintains a web site at www.vsea.com. The information contained in the Company's web site is not incorporated by reference into this release, and the web site address is included in this release as an inactive textual reference only.

Note: This release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, the statements concerning the Company's performance, market share and technology leadership, technological capabilities and benefits are forward-looking statements and any statements using the terms "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risks and factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements. These include, among others, volatility in the semiconductor equipment industry; economic conditions in general and as they affect the Company's customers; significant fluctuations in the Company's quarterly operating results; the impact of rapid technological change; the Company's dependence on the development and introduction of new products; the Company's concentration on ion implantation systems and related products; concentration in the Company's customer base and lengthy sales cycles; the highly competitive market in which the Company competes; risks of international sales; foreign currency risks; and general economic conditions; and other factors identified in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.



To: etchmeister who wrote (1730)10/28/2005 11:30:11 PM
From: etchmeister  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1929
 
Varian Semiconductor's Single Wafer High Current Ion Implanters Selected by Elpida
VSEA Will Ship Over Ten VIISta HC Systems to Elpida in 2005

GLOUCESTER, MA, Aug 03, 2005 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSEA) announced today that it has received a significant number of orders for its VIISta(TM) HC single wafer high current ion implanter from Elpida Memory, Inc. Multiple tools have already shipped to Elpida's fabs in Hiroshima, Japan, and the balance of the tools will ship in the next several months.

Elpida placed orders for Varian Semiconductor's VIISta HC single wafer high current ion implanters for the first time, further expanding the Company's considerable lead in the single wafer high current market. "We have a significant lead in single wafer high current and with Japan starting to make the transition from batch to single wafer, we expect to further accelerate our market share gains in implant this year," said Gary Dickerson, chief executive officer of Varian Semiconductor. "With over 100 single wafer high current systems in Asia alone, Elpida felt confident we could provide them with a production-proven technically superior tool, with the expertise needed to help them make the transition away from older batch systems. The architecture advantages of the VIISta HC provide higher productivity, much better particle counts and outstanding device performance. The combination of these advantages is creating significant demand for our VIISta HC high current ion implanters."

The global shift to single wafer ion implanters is driven by both the sensitivity of advanced devices to contamination and the requirement for highly precise, zero degree implant angle accuracy. The VIISta HC single wafer ion implanter is the only system featuring a dual magnet ribbon beam architecture which provides the lowest contamination levels in the industry. In addition, the VIISta HC's unique closed-loop Varian Positioning System (VPS(TM)) offers interlockable angle control for true zero degree applications. These features, combined with tight beam steering control (I suppose angle), assure precise implant placements required in sub-90nm ultra-shallow junction devices. The VIISta HC is a member of the VIISta suite of ion implanters -- the only proven single wafer platform solution for all production applications with over 300 systems installed worldwide.

About Varian Semiconductor

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. is the leading producer of ion implantation equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors. The Company is headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and operates worldwide. Varian Semiconductor maintains a web site at www.vsea.com. The information contained in the Company's web site is not incorporated by reference into this release, and the web site address is included in this release as an inactive textual reference only.

Note: This release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, the statements concerning the Company's performance, market share and technology leadership, technological capabilities and benefits are forward-looking statements and any statements using the terms "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risks and factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements. These include, among others, volatility in the semiconductor equipment industry; economic conditions in general and as they affect the Company's customers; significant fluctuations in the Company's quarterly operating results; the impact of rapid technological change; the Company's dependence on the development and introduction of new products; the Company's concentration on ion implantation systems and related products; concentration in the Company's customer base and lengthy sales cycles; the highly competitive market in which the Company competes; risks of international sales; foreign currency risks; and general economic conditions; and other factors identified in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

SOURCE: Varian Semiconductor

They got 11 or 12 orders from Elpida replacing batch system;
it appears the Elpida deal went very well - initially they had more than 12 guys on site to suppor.
A large order / evaluation is pending @ Toshiba and I'm sure the Japanese folks will talk to each other.

Also great deal of progress was made with respect to logic.
The new (leading) logic customer in US is doing a lot of outsourcing to foundries which makes me believe it's TI (the opportunity at logic fab is up to 25 tools compared to around 15 plus change for memory/flash).
Than again they mentioned to get a shot at 45nm and it sounded like Intel.
Varian management gave a hard time to analysts;
about six sell side analysts who have friends at major chip companies would call them up... (hey what about the fair disclosure policy....)
and I sensed some communication breakdown between Needham analyst and management