Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: Please let me know your view on STMicroelectronics NV. Thank you.

Article Excerpt

STMicroelectronics NV, $9.05, symbol STM on New York (Shares outstanding: 910.6 million; Market cap: $8.3 billion; www.st.com), makes computer chips for over 1,500 customers in a range of markets, including telecommunications, networking, automotive, industrial products and consumer devices. The company offers over 3,000 products in total. Computer chip markets are highly competitive, so STM focuses on gaining large shares of certain niches. For example, it is the world’s largest supplier of components for in-car digital radio receivers. The company has also developed the industry’s smallest, most efficient and best-performing chip-scale gyroscope for advanced motion sensing. This technology is used in Nike’s FuelBand device, a wrist band that records its users’ daily fitness activities. The component also goes into many new smartphones, including Apple’s iPhones. In the three months ended June 30, 2013, STM’s revenue fell 4.8%, to $2.05 billion from $2.15 billion a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, the company lost $0.06 a share in the latest quarter, compared to…