KLA-Tencor Corp

• 5 Dividend Stocks Boasting High Free Cash Flow Yields

  By Meena Krishnamsetty - May 22, 2013 | Tickers: BLC, KLAC, MRVL, OMI, DGX

  Free cash flow (FCF)—or owner earnings, as it is referred to by the legendary investor Warren Buffett—represents the cash available to shareholders after all other claims have been met. Based on FCF, a good measure of the fundamental strength of a company is its FCF yield, which is calculated by dividing a company’s FCF per share by its current market price per share. A positive FCF yield more »

• Are You Playing the Semiconductor Industry Correctly?

  By Meena Krishnamsetty - December 27, 2012 | Tickers: AMAT, INTC, KLAC, QCOM, TXN

  Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) provides manufacturing equipment for semiconductor companies. The tech company offers products for front-end and computing applications. The slowdown in the PC and computer markets has pressured this space, given that over two-thirds of semiconductors are used in PCs. Billionaire Steven Cohen of SAC Capital added Applied Materials to his portfolio last quarter (check out Steven Cohen's top picks).

  Applied Materials is expected to still see more »

• Christmas Sounds Like This

  By Steve Van - December 14, 2012 | Tickers: DE, JOY, KLAC, RTEC, TREE |

  Bouncing around the investment blogosphere lately I’ve encountered “stocking stuffer” ideas, “letters to Santa” asking for the perfect stock, and even ways to play the “Santa Claus Rally.”  From all this coverage it seems as if a Christmas themed post is in order.  The companies I want to discuss, however, really have nothing substantial to do with Christmas and even less to do with each other.  There aren’t more »

• Why Is This Company Jim Cramer’s Favorite Tech Stock?

  By Meena Krishnamsetty - October 24, 2012 | Tickers: ASX, AMAT, KLAC, LRCX, UMC

  Recently, we looked at the largest technology stock positions owned by Jim Cramer’s charitable trust (read our quick take on Jim Cramer's tech stock picks). The largest position by market value was the fairly obscure Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX), which is a semiconductor equipment company- it designs and manufactures precision machines which are then used to produce semiconductors. Lam is down 3% year to date.

  Lam Research more »

• This Tech Company Disappoints but How is Long Term Picture?

  By Lee Samaha - October 19, 2012 | Tickers: DELL, HPQ, INTC, KLAC, MSFT

  Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) did what Intel does and managed to report results above the high end of its recently lowered expectations. However, I doubt this will be enough because anyone looking for an early sign of recovery in the semiconductor market will have been disappointed.

  Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) investors should note that PC demand certainly isn’t going to be propelled by Windows 8. In summary, this report was saying more »

• Is the Semiconductor Industry Cycle About to Turn?

  By Lee Samaha - August 28, 2012 | Tickers: AMAT, ASML, INTC, KLAC, LRCX

  I confess that I’ve long been fascinated by the semiconductor industry cycle. It seems to be so early cyclical that it is almost counter cyclical! This year has proved rather frustrating for the industry. Many forecasters were predicting an upturn that hasn’t quite happened yet. I want to take a look and see what the chances are of a recovery. I’ll do this by focusing on industry more »

• 3 Dividend Stocks with Fresh Double-Digit Dividend Boosts

  By Meena Krishnamsetty - July 28, 2012 | Tickers: CMI, KLAC, SWK

  Dividend growth stocks allow investors to earn progressively higher income. Moreover, high dividend growth stocks tend to outperform their peers with low dividend growth and those stocks that do not raise dividends. Investing in dividend growth stocks is a sound investment choice that can enable investors to make high total returns over long-term investment horizons.

  A few dividend stocks have just raised their dividend payouts by double-digit rates. These include more »

• Attractive Valuation for this Industry Leader

  By Andrés Cardenal - June 29, 2012 | Tickers: AMAT, KLAC, LRCX

  Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) is the undisputed leader in the semiconductor equipment industry, with a market cap of $14.3 billion versus $8 billion and $4.4 billion in market cap for its closest competitors KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX), respectively. In terms of revenue, Applied Materials is almost three times bigger than its competition.

  This bigger size implies a strong competitive advantage in its business. Semiconductor fabrication more »

• Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula Stock Picks

  By Meena Krishnamsetty - February 22, 2012 | Tickers: AMAT, DELL, DLB, HPQ, KLAC

  Joel Greenblatt has a magic formula. He primarily uses a value investing strategy focused on finding value in special situations, but he also uses a quantitative investment strategy that he calls his magic formula. It's proven successful for his Gotham Asset Management, which he founded in 1985 with $7 million.

  Gotham Asset’s Formula Investing U.S. Value 1000 fund gained 1.7% in 2011, compared to a loss more »

• Analyzing 5 New Cramer Buy Ideas

  By Robert Fisher - January 31, 2012 | Tickers: AMAT, BRCM, CSX, KLAC, TXN

  Stock market specialist Jim Cramer recommended that you buy these five stocks one month ago on his January 9th episode of Mad Money.  In this article, I analyze his picks on a relative value basis and analyze each stock's performance since Mr. Cramer's recommendation.

  Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT): When Jim Cramer recommended this stock a month ago it was at $11.34 per share and today it's more »

• KLA Tencor: Undervalued and On Track For Rapid Growth

  By Michael French - January 23, 2012 | Tickers: KLAC

  In this article, I analyze what, in my opinion, is one of the most undervalued semiconductor stocks – KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) - based on the company’s relative value and growth prospects.  Use this analysis as a starting point for your own research

  The company has a strong balance sheet  for fiscal year 2011 ending June 30 with $711 million in cash, assets of 4.65 billion  and liabilities totaling $1.81 more »

• Two Magic Formula Stocks for Week of January 9, 2012

  By Tom Gibbs - January 9, 2012 | Tickers: AMAT, KLAC

  There is no investing technique that works successfully, with known certainty, in every situation.  There are, however, certain ways to think about allocating investment dollars that have led to higher than average investment returns over the long run.  Joel Greenblatt’s Magic Formula Investing strategy, despite its cheesy name (it is no get-rich-quick gimmick, as if one existed), is one of these techniques that has done an excellent job beating more »