Wednesday, May 15, 12:13 PM
InvenSense (INVN +4.6%) will gain Apple as a client this year and will also be designed into Samsung's Galaxy Note 3, says Pac Crest in a note that's lifting shares. On Monday, Wedge Partners, which in the past has said checks point to an iPhone 5S design win, said initial Apple shipments could happen in Q2, and that InvenSense is part of a reference design for MediaTek's 6589 quad-core processor, something that has led to a design win with growing Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi. Also: InvenSense filed a fresh lawsuit against archrival STMicroelectronics (STM +1.7%) yesterday.
1 Comment[Tech, On the Move]
Friday, May 3, 6:18 PMAfter-hours top gainers, as of 5:30 p.m.:ABFS +16.0%. RNR +3.75%. MSG +3.3%. NCT +3.1%. INCY +3.0%. After-hours top losers:STM -9%. GRMN -3.6%. BRCD -2.7%. H -2.6%. CPWR -2.1%.
Comment![On the Move]
Friday, May 3, 10:29 AM
Heavily-shorted InvenSense (INVN +25.7%) continues shooting higher after beating FQ4 estimates. FQ1 guidance isn't great - revenue of $53M-$55M and EPS of $0.12-$0.14 vs. a consensus of $56.4M and $0.15 - but the motion sensor chipmaker also talked on its CC about a strong backlog and a solid relationship with Samsung, and didn't do anything to shoot down reports of an iPhone 5S design win. Top rival and current iPhone motion sensor supplier STMicroelectronics (STM -0.1%) is missing out on today's rally. (earlier)
1 Comment[Tech, On the Move, Earnings]
Tuesday, April 23, 11:22 AM
STMicroelectronics (STM +8.8%) recoups its April losses after beating Q1 EPS estimates on the back of a 170 bps Y/Y improvement in gross margin to 31.3%. The European chipmaker is guiding for Q2's Q/Q revenue growth to be in a range of -0.5% to +6.5%, the midpoint of which is below a 5% consensus. But it also setting a gross margin range of 30.7%-34.7%, as restructuring efforts and the ST-Ericsson wind-down provide a lift. Digital Convergence (set-tops/TVs) sales were a relative strong point (+8% Y/Y), as was Memory & Security (+9%). On the flip side, Silicon Photonics sales dived 35%. (PR)
Comment![Tech, Earnings, On the Move]
Tuesday, April 23, 8:43 AM
Nokia (NOK) roundup: 1) Bloomberg reports Verizon is "set to unveil a plan next month" for the anticipated Lumia 928, which (in-line with past reports) is said to feature a 4.5" display, metal body (likely aluminum), 8MP camera, and wireless charging support. As would-be Verizon Galaxy S IV buyers can vouch, Verizon often takes longer to test/qualify new phones than rivals. 2) A Dutch court has granted Nokia an injunction for HTC's flagship One smartphone, declaring the phone's microphone chips (supplied by STM) use Nokia's IP.
16 Comments[Tech]
Monday, April 22, 5:19 PMSTMicroelectronics (STM): Q1 EPS of -$0.13 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $2.01B in-line. (PR)
Comment![Earnings, Breaking News, Tech]
Wednesday, April 17, 12:26 PM
Chip stocks have a rough day (SOXX -2.8%) following Cirrus Logic's warning, light guidance from Linear Technology (LLTC -4.6%) to go with a Q1 beat - Linear sees 1%-4% Q/Q revenue growth for calendar Q2, below a 4.7% consensus - and ho-hum Q1 results/Q2 guidance from Intel. Apple suppliers Broadcom (BRCM -4%), Avago (AVGO -5.5%), STMicroelectronics (STM -6.7%), NXP (NXPI -7%), RF Micro (RFMD -2.8%), and OmniVision (OVTI -3.3%) are among the casualties, but they're far from alone. ANAD -6.2%. STM -5.7%. FSL -5%. ADI -4.5%. TXN -4.4%.
Comment![Tech, On the Move]
Wednesday, March 27, 10:29 AM
European tech and telecom stocks are underperforming as continental equities sell off on Italian concerns. STM -3.9%. ALU -2.3%. NXPI -1.4%. FTE -4.3%. TEF -2.1%. TI -4.3%. VOD -1.7%. One exception is Nokia (NOK +0.3%), which is benefiting from an upgrade to Buy from Swedbank.
6 Comments[Tech, On the Move]
Monday, March 18, 11:54 AM
Samsung's Galaxy S IV uses a Broadcom (BRCM +0.9%) NFC chip rather than an NXP (NXPI -3.3%) part, NFC Times confirms in a column that seems to be pressuring NXP shares - some already suspected a Broadcom chip is being used. The site adds Broadcom's part works in tandem with an STMicroelectronics (STM +3.8%) memory chip to enable NFC payment apps from Visa and MasterCard. NXP supplies the NFC chip found in the Galaxy S III and is still the market's leading vendor, but Broadcom's design win rate has been picking up lately.
1 Comment[Tech, On the Move]
Monday, March 18, 4:13 AM
As expected, STMicroelectronics (STM) and Ericsson (ERIC) plan to close ST-Ericsson after failing to find a buyer for the loss-making mobile-chip joint venture. Ericsson will retain 1,800 workers and a suite of thin 4G mobile chips, while STMicro will keep 950 employees and other products. The rest of the staff will lose their jobs. The shutdown will cost STMicro $350-450M, less than a prior forecast of $500M. Ericsson had already made a provision of 3.3B Swedish kroners ($515.7M) in 2012. (PR)
Comment![Top Stories, Tech]
Sunday, March 17, 5:34 AM
ST-Ericsson will reportedly provide a strategy update to worker representatives tomorrow after owners Ericsson (ERIC) and STMicroelectronics (STM) failed to find a buyer for the loss-making mobile-chip JV. Ericsson and STM are considering winding down the company and reintegrating staff back into their respective operations, which might save jobs but could weigh on earnings.
2 Comments[Tech]
Tuesday, March 12, 12:49 PM
Not too surprisingly, STMicroelectronics (STM -3.5%) and Ericsson (ERIC +1.8%) have failed to find a buyer for money and share-losing ST-Ericsson, six sources tell Bloomberg. Samsung and other prospective buyers reportedly failed to make bids after being approached. A wind-down of the JV is being considered among other options. Shares of both owners have spiked lower, but STM (a much smaller company) is getting the worst of it. (CEO change)
Comment![Tech, On the Move]
Monday, March 11, 5:03 AM
ST-Ericsson CEO Didier Lamouche will step down at the end of the month, having been in the job since late 2011. Lamouche's departure comes as STMicroelectronics (STM) plans its exit from the loss-making chip venture, while Ericsson (ERIC) mulls what to do with the company. (PR)
Comment![Tech]