Research Spending Keeps These 2 In Front

Article Excerpt

VERIGY LTD. $17.90 (Nasdaq symbol VRGY; SI Rating: Speculative) (1-800-447-8378; www.verigy.com; Shares outstanding: 58.9 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion) designs and makes test systems used in the production of computer chips, flash memory and high-speed memory. Verigy’s revenues in its fiscal third quarter ended July 31, 2008 fell 12.3%, to $204 million from $179 million a year earlier. It earned $0.30 a share, down 40% from $0.50. The company now forecasts fourth-quarter earnings per share of $0.12 to $0.17 on $155 million to $165 million in revenues. The computer chip market is highly cyclical, and strong price competition has prompted Verigy’s customers to spend less on new equipment. Joint ventures among chipmakers have also hurt demand for Verigy’s products. Research gives Verigy new products Verigy continues to spend 15% of its revenue on research, so it’s more profitable than it appears. This spending has helped it develop new equipment that can test a wider variety of chips. Products like this will help Verigy expand…