Slow sales growth makes Gennum a hold

Article Excerpt

GENNUM CORP. $6.06 (Toronto symbol GND; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 35.4 million; Market cap: $214.5 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 2.3%; SI Rating: Above Average) makes equipment that stores, manipulates and transfers video signals. It also makes chips that make computer networks work more quickly. Gennum mainly sells its products to television broadcasters. However, the slow economy has hurt TV advertising revenue. That has prompted these clients to cut spending on new equipment. As a result, Gennum’s revenue fell 32.4% in the year ended November 30, 2009, to $85.2 million from $126.9 million in the prior year (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). The company lost $0.07 a share (or a total of $2.6 million) in fiscal 2009. However, that was mainly because of a $5.9-million charge related to a 10% cut that Gennum made to its workforce. It earned $0.54 a share (or $19.3 million) in 2008. Gennum spent $30.6 million…