TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC. $29 (Nasdaq symbol TXN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $31.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ti.com) is selling fewer chips to smartphone makers. That’s because these customers are making more of their own chips instead of buying them from outside suppliers.
In response, Texas Instruments is shifting its focus to chips for cars, industrial machinery and other products. As a result, it will cut 5% of its workforce. The company will pay $325 million in severance and other costs. However, these moves should save it $450 million a year by the end of 2013. That’s equal to 57% of the $784 million, or $0.67 a share, that the company earned in the third quarter of 2012.
Texas Instruments is a buy.