AMAT - Sector: Technology---Industry: Semiconductor Equipment & Materials

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SEMICONDUCTOR HOLDERS CLEAR APRIL HIGH.......

The ability of any stock index or group to clear its April high is a sure sign of strength. In case you haven't noticed, the Semiconductor Holders are doing just that today. I point that out because, up until a couple of months ago, chip stocks were market laggards. Chart 1, however, shows that's no longer the case. Not only is the SMH clearing its April, high, but the SMH/SPX ratio (below chart) has been rising since early September. A number of individual stocks in the group have hit new 52-week highs including (in order of size) Texas Instruments (TXN), Analog-Devices (ADI), Altera (ALTR), Linear Technology (LLTC), Broadcom (BRCM), KLA-Tencor (KLAC), and Novellus (NVLS). One of the biggest chip stocks (which is often viewed as a group bellwether) is Intel which has been a group laggard. But it too is is starting to look a lot stronger. Chart 2 shows Intel trading at a new three-month high after clearing a six-month down trendline and its 200-day moving average. The strong upturn in semiconductors also carries good news for the broader market since it's a big part of the technology sector. And the market is usually stronger when the technology sector (and the Nasdaq) are leading it higher. Another heavily weighted chip stock, Applied Materials, has also just cleared its 200-day line (Chart 3).

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Profile: 

Applied Materials Inc.
3050 Bowers Avenue
PO Box 58039
Santa Clara, CA 95054-3299
United States - Map
Phone: 408-727-5555
Fax: 408-748-9943
Website: http://www.appliedmaterials.com

Details   
Index Membership: S&P 500
S&P 1500 Super Comp
Sector: Technology
Industry: Semiconductor Equipment & Materials
Full Time Employees: 12,619


Business Summary   
Applied Materials, Inc. provides nanomanufacturing technology solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display, solar, and related industries worldwide. Its Silicon segment provides a range of manufacturing equipment used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits. It offers systems that perform primary processes used in chip fabrication, including atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, etch, rapid thermal processing, chemical mechanical planarization, and wafer metrology and inspection, as well as systems that etch, measure, and inspect circuit patterns on masks used in the photolithography process. The company’s Applied Global Services segment offers products and services designed to improve the performance and productivity, and reduce the environmental impact of the fab operations of semiconductor, LCD, and solar photovoltaics manufacturers. Its Display segment provides equipment to fabricate thin film transistor LCDs for televisions, computer displays, and other consumer-oriented electronic applications. The company’s Energy and Environmental Solutions segment offers manufacturing solutions for the generation and conservation of energy. It also provides manufacturing solutions for wafer-based crystalline silicon, and glass-based thin film applications to enable customers to increase the conversion efficiency and yields of solar PV devices. In addition, this segment offers roll-to-roll vacuum Web coating systems for deposition of a range of films on flexible substrates for functional, aesthetic, or optical properties, as well as large-area deposition equipment for the production of low-emissivity and solar control architectural glass. The company serves manufacturers of semiconductor wafers and chips, flat panel liquid crystal displays, solar photovoltaic cells and modules, and other electronic devices. Applied Materials, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.