Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What is your opinion on Skyworks Solutions? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Skyworks Solutions Inc., $47.59, symbol SWKS on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 189.6 million; Market cap: $9.0 billion; www.skyworksinc.com), makes a variety of chips and other electronic components for cellphones, tablet computers and other wireless devices. Samsung and Foxconn, which makes Apple’s iPhone and iPad, account for about half of Skyworks’ sales. The company is also developing chips for other applications beyond mobile devices, including smart meters that help electrical utilities cut fraud and make their grids more efficient. Skyworks continues to benefit as more people use mobile devices, such as smartphones, to communicate and access the Internet. Another growth area for Skyworks is the “Internet of Things,” which could connect over 50 billion devices, like home thermostats and appliances, to the Internet by 2020. In its fiscal 2014 second quarter, which ended March 28, 2014, Skyworks’ sales rose 13.1%, to $481.0 million from $425.2 million a year earlier. It earned $118.6 million, or $0.62 a share, up 29.1% from $91.9 million, or $0.48. The company…