Semiconductor Equipment

Late last week, MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR) announced a private offering for $500mn in senior notes, J.P. Morgan reports. “The notes, due 2019, will be unsecured and we believe are likely to price and close in the next 1-2 weeks,” J.P. Morgan writes. “Offering likely to price...

According to J.P. Morgan, Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) reported C4Q10 rev/EPS of $2.69bn/$0.36 vs. our ests. of $2.72/$0.34. J.P. Morgan reported that GMs of 42.3% were slightly lower than its estimate of 42.6%. “F11 guidance raised to >$11bn in revenue and >$1.50 PF EPS. This is well...

Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: SOXL) gained 7.56% on Friday, and it closed at $69.43. In the semiconductor space, Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) jumped 4.86%, and Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) added 3.81%. Direxion Daily Small Cap Bull 3X Shares(ETF) (NYSE: TNA)...

With another strong Quarter in solar, Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) is raising 2011 EPS as end market diversification is working and helping to mask what remains static share in semis. While this is good and the stock may trade up slightly on this print, the "catch-up" trade that has driven the...

Analysts at Cowen downgrade Verigy Ltd (NASDAQ: VRGY) from “outperform” to “neutral.” VRGY shares fell 0.97% to close at $13.24 yesterday. More Analyst Ratings here

US stock futures are higher this morning as crude oil prices stabilized. Investors are awaiting economic reports. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 55 points to 12,092.00, while those for the S&P 500 index climbed 7 points to 1,309.70. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index rose 15....

Below are the top small-cap diversified machinery stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of earnings estimate for the next year. The earnings estimate for Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) for the next year ending December, 2011 is $4.51 per share. MIDD's trailing-twelve-month operating...

Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are: Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) reported its FQ1 profit at $506 million, or $0.38 per share, versus $83 million, or $0.06 per share, in the year-ago period. The company's revenue increased to $2.69 billion from $1.85 billion. The...

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) today reported results for its first quarter of fiscal 2011 ended Jan. 30, 2011. Applied generated orders of $2.97 billion, net sales of $2.69 billion, operating income of $674 million, and net income of $506 million or $0.38 per share. Non-GAAP operating...

Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (NASDAQ: SLXP) dipped 24.25% to $31.40 in the pre-market session. SLXP expects the US Food and Drug Administration to seek more data for its Xifaxan drug. AXT Inc (NASDAQ: AXTI) fell 9.45% to $7.57 in the pre-market session. AXTI reported weaker-than-expected Q4 results...

Target Corp (NYSE: TGT) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.40 per share on revenue of $20.78 billion. General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) is projected to report its Q4 EPS at $0.46 on revenue of $34.11 billion. Gap Inc (NYSE: GPS) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.57 per share on...

Below are the top small-cap diversified electronic stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of return on equity. The trailing-twelve-month return on equity at Power-One Inc (NASDAQ: PWER) is 66.79%. PWER's PEG ratio is 0.38. The trailing-twelve-month return on equity at Advanced Energy Industries...

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC) are lower on the session by 4.41%, trading at $9.11. Overall put volume is now running at 5.60x the daily average, with 17% of all puts traded being purchases on the offer. 1,809 contracts have traded on the session so far. Kulicke and Soffa...

Piper Jaffray, which raised its PT and upgraded shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), is providing some color on the stock. “We downgraded AMAT on 7/6/10 due to headwinds created by the company's thin film solar business,” Piper Jaffray writes. “In retrospect, the downgrade has been a...

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: VRTX) rose 19.31% to $45.60 in the pre-market session. VRTX reported that its potential cystic fibrosis drug has met study goals. Oclaro Inc (NASDAQ: OCLR) added 8.36% to $16.47 in the pre-market session. OCLR had $77.28 million in total cash and no debt...