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Varian Semiconductor (NASDAQ:VSEA): Upgraded to Overweight at Barclays Capital

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:21:49 GMT

Barclays' Semi Capital Equipment team is out positive on the space saying they expect the SemiconWest trade show next week will spark renewed interest in semi equipment stocks and they recommend investors increase exposure to the group. Firm looks for growing visibility to double-digit Q/Q order growth through 2009 and that this will lead to strong earnings revisions ahead. They expect growing confidence of increased spending from Samsung and Hynix and that this will be a major catalyst for shares.- Varian Semiconductor (NASDAQ:VSEA) is upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight with a $35 price target (prev. $26).The key drivers for the upgrade include: 1) They expect a beat on the Sep Q guide; 2) VSEA has a strong core franchise aided by aggressive cost cuts; 3) Firm[More...]

Long Picks For Monday

Sun, 03 May 2009 16:34:38 GMT

The major index charts remain in solid rising trends for now. On a fundamental level, I continue to think this rally has been built on TARP money, short covering, and unrealistic hopes on the economy. Although corporate earnings have exceeded estimates, in the end earnings remain poor. Overbought sectors such as retail, restaurants, real estate, and financials need to contend with a still-deteriorating economic picture. That being the case, I am choosing to remain patient with a majority of short positions while actively trading the long side as long as the rally continues. [More...]

Semiconductors & Electrical Components - Industry Outlook

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:39:18 GMT

In the past 10 years, the fundamental shift in the semiconductor industry from corporate IT to consumer demand is very important to consider. It has created a different playing field. There are more products that use semi components (MP3s, cell phones, autos, "smart" houses). Seasonal demand is now an issue, such as Christmas and the Chinese New Year. Finally, the potential exists for more commoditized products and ASP (average selling price) erosion. Firms that will out-perform in a slightly negative GDP environment include: Firms with the strongest balance sheets, such as Intel Corp. (INTC) Companies that make specialized semiconductors (i.e. chips used in dentist X rays) Firms that sell products that are technology-driven rather than[More...]

Picks for Monday's Rally

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:35:00 GMT

Considering Friday's late day surge and the action in world markets to start the week, we are likely to get a strong rally today, and even possibly an intermediate term bottom. I plan to play this rally fairly aggressively, including looking for some advantageous entries premarket. Here are some of the names I am considering:- QLD, designed to provide twice the performance of the NASDAQ 100, is my first choice in index ETF's. It shows climax selling on last Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a high volume close in the green on Friday.[More...]

Semis Boosted by New Technology - Zacks Analyst Interviews

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:53:00 GMT

We have found yet another industry where good buys can be had, even in the current tumultuous market. Zacks senior equities analyst Ken Nagy, CFA assisted us in out search by talking about Garmin (GRMN) and Varian (VSEA), a couple of his Buy-rated stocks in the semiconductor industry. Have you published any Buy reports lately? If so, which ones? Garmin, Ltd. (GRMN) is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of navigation and communication equipment that incorporate global positioning system (GPS)-based technology. Its end-product markets include marine, recreation, automotive and aviation. The company's diverse portfolio of handheld, portable and fixed-mount GPS-enabled devices[More...]

New Technology Driving Semis' Future

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:18:00 GMT

We have found yet another industry where good buys can be had, even in the current tumultuous market. Zacks senior equities analyst Ken Nagy, CFA assisted us in out search by talking about a couple of his Buy-rated stocks in the semiconductor industry. Have you published any Buy reports lately? If so, which ones? Garmin, Ltd. (GRMN) is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of navigation and communication equipment that incorporate global positioning system (GPS)-based technology. Its end-product markets include marine, recreation, automotive and aviation. The company?s diverse portfolio of handheld, portable and fixed-mount GPS-enabled devices provides geographical location and[More...]

Analyst Comments: Union Pacific, Varian Semi, Petrobras, Marathon Oil, VimpelCom, Procter & Gamble, Accuray, Fushi, Micros Systems, RLI Corp

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:04:00 GMT

We are retaining our Hold on Union Pacific Corp. (UNP), as well as our $80 target price. UNP will report third quarter results on October 23. We are maintaining our 2008 diluted EPS estimate at $4.15, near the high end of management's increased $4.00-4.20[More...]

Trading Strategies for the Next Leg Down

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:33:00 GMT

Today was an important day, with numerous sector and index charts breaking key support. Looking forward, it is now clear we are back in a significant bearish phase. The following index/sector ETF's broke down through important support today: SPY, DIA, MDY[More...]

Keep An Eye on XLF, XHB, XLY and XLE for Rally Strength

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:02:00 GMT

We discussed about the VIX and I gave my opinion that the market could turn last week. For the last few days, we've been seeing rallies in the market, especially in the weak oversold sectors like Financials, Homebuilders and Consumer Discretionary. We've also seen continued sell-off in Coal and Steel sectors after brief spell of consolidation. As I said on 9 Jul, watch for a retest to go short or get some Put Options. It retested and broke down again last week, hope you caught some of the action.What about the week ahead? The major trend is still to the downside and watch for resistance at 1270 for the S&P 500 index. Also watch the Financials (XLF), Homebuilders (XHB), Consumer Discretionary (XLY) and Energy (XLE)[More...]

Periodicals Wrap-Up for Thursday, July 11th

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:27:00 GMT

Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors (GM), hit out against allegations that the auto maker may soon file for bankruptcy and said he believes the company’s financial position will “remain robust” for the rest of the year.[More...]

New Losses, Job Cuts at Varian: Revenues for Quarter Down By 75 Percent From Last Year

Sat, 02 May 2009 17:51:00 GMT

May 2--Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates struggled to weather another dismal quarter in the once-brave new chip world of iconic names.
But company officials identified an uptick in spare parts sales, the first solid signs that the computer age's worst slump has an end.
Varian reported quarterly revenues of $63.8 million, compared to revenue of $255.3 million for the same period a year ago -- a decline of 75 percent.

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Downturn Continues for Varian: 75 Percent Revenue Drop Eyed for Next Quarter

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Feb. 2--Like many companies across the country, Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates has yet to find the bottom of the global economic downturn.
And in an earnings statement released last week, the company said that, as bad as things have been recently, expectations for sales in the next three months are even worse.
"The rate of deterioration in the semiconductor capital equipment industry had been unprecedented," Chief Operating Officer Gary Dickerson said in the prepared statement.

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Varian Doubles Loss Forecast

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:49:00 GMT

Jan. 6--Losses stemming from the international economic slowdown have hit Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Cape Ann's largest private employer, twice as hard as company officials expected a few months ago.
The Gloucester-based maker of microchip-making tools yesterday revised down its estimated earnings for the first fiscal quarter of the new year by around $15 million, while more than doubling the projected losses for the same three-month period, which ended last week.
When it announced earnings projections for the end of the 2008 fiscal year in early October, Varian anticipated revenues of between $115 million and $125 million, with an operating loss of $6 million.

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Varian Slump Delays Turbines Nearly 500 Employees Laid Off Over Last Year

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:49:00 GMT

Nov. 1--The worldwide economic slump is taking its toll on Cape Ann's largest private-sector employer.
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates has laid off nearly 500 workers over the last 14 months and is now expected to delay construction of two wind turbines at its Blackburn Industrial Park plant.
Although company executives did not announce precisely how many workers were laid off last month, they told financial analysts in a teleconference Thursday that 25 percent of the workforce had been cut since October 2007, bringing the total number of employees down to around 1,500.

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