Broad portfolio pays off for Verigy

Article Excerpt

VERIGY LTD. $23 (Nasdaq symbol VRGY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 59.0 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; WSSF Rating: Speculative) earned $0.28 a share in its first fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2007, up 12.0% from $0.25 a year earlier. These figures exclude one-time costs from the company’s recent spin off from Agilent Technologies Inc. Revenues fell 2.9%, to $165 million from $170 million. Despite recent weakness in the chip testing industry, Verigy’s balanced product portfolio should let it stay profitable. It should also benefit from its plan to design chip-testing equipment, and outsource the manufacturing to low-cost countries. The company’s heavy research spending, 14% of its revenue of $14.25 a share, should help it stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry. Verigy is a buy. buy…