Acquisition improves Gennum’s prospects

Article Excerpt

GENNUM CORP. $7.09 (Toronto symbol GND; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 35.6 million; Market cap: $252.4 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.gennum.com) makes equipment for TV broadcasters that stores, manipulates and transfers video signals. It also makes chips that make computer networks work more quickly. On April 6, 2011, Gennum acquired Nanotech Semiconductor Ltd. for $35.9 million (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). Based in Bristol, U.K., Nanotech designs chips for high-speed communication networks. In its 2011 second quarter, which ended May 31, 2011, Gennum earned $3.6 million, or $0.10 a share, down 12.5% from $4.1 million, or $0.12 a share, a year earlier. The drop was mainly due to the costs of the Nanotech acquisition. However, sales rose 8.7%, to $34.4 million from $31.7 million. That’s entirely due to the Nanotech purchase, which added $2.2 million to Gennum’s sales. Gennum is a buy. buy…