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AMD second quarter earnings preview

Proving the rule that large mergers rarely work out as planned, computer chip giant Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) will write down $880 million of the purchase cost of graphic chip giant ATI, the company AMD bought over a year ago. Add that to the fact that AMD's product delays have cost it market share, and you can be sure that competitor Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) has been singing a happy tune lately.

AMD is expected to take $32 million in restructuring costs due to employee severance costs resulting from last September's job cuts, and record a loss of $0.52 per share on revenue of $1.45 billion come tomorrow's earnings release. This would be in line with analyst expectations, but at the same time, may not please investors much. AMD management is also expected to give conservative guidance for the current quarter due to soft seasonality and the overall U.S. economic environment, since so many of its products are consumed here.

AMD really needs to get out a price competitive, cutting-edge processing chip for the laptop PC that can compete with Intel's Core 2 Duo product and the Centrino wireless offering. Laptops are the hottest PC category and AMD is letting Intel have all the fun. Its current dual-core chip lineup just can't compete and requires too much energy to operate. I hope analysts nail down AMD's exact road map and time lines for these products, which it needs if it expects to be competitive at all during the remainder of 2008. Right now, it's not even close.

Newspaper wrap-up: Wall Street firms subpoenaed by SEC

MAJOR PAPERS:
OTHER PAPERS:
  • The New York Times reported that News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS) New York Post and The Daily News, owned by Mortimer Zuckerman, are exploring a print pact and have been in talks to find ways to combine some business functions of the papers, according to people briefed on the matter.
  • According to sources, the San Francisco Business Times reported that Washington Mutual Incorporated (NYSE: WM) may be planning more layoffs in September. It is unclear how many employees will be affected and from which departments.
WEB SITES:

The week in preview: Expectations as the earnings crunch begins

As the second quarter earnings crunch begins in earnest this week, the bear market has investors jittery and prognosticators spinning out dire warnings. In the wake of mixed results from Alcoa (NYSE: AA) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) kicking things off last week, here's a look at what Wall Street is expecting from many of the companies scheduled to report this coming week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting the following companies to report a rise in earnings when compared to the same period of the previous year.

  • Nucor Corp. (NYSE: NUE): $1.80 EPS (36.6%) on sales of $6.4 billion (+53.0%)
  • Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG): $4.74 EPS (24.9%) on sales of $3.9 billion (+41.6%)
  • Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK): 56 cents EPS (23.2%) on sales of $19.9 billion (+17.8%)
  • CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX): 90 cents EPS (21.1%) on sales of $2.9 billion (+12.8%)
  • Altera Corp. (NASDAQ: ALTR): 27 cents EPS (18.5%) on sales of $346.7 million (+8.4%)
  • IBM (NYSE: IBM): $1.82 EPS (+17.6%) on sales of $25.9 billion (+9.0%)
  • eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY): 41 cents EPS (17.1%) on sales of $2.2 billion (+18.0%)
  • W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE: GWW): $1.46 EPS (17.1%) on sales of $1.7 billion (+8.0%)
  • Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT): 47 cents EPS (17.0%) on sales of $15.7 billion (+17.0%)
  • Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON): 94 cents EPS (17.0%) on sales of $9.2 billion (+7.9%)

Continue reading The week in preview: Expectations as the earnings crunch begins

Newspaper wrap-up: Citigroup to shut Old Lane Partners hedge fund

MAJOR PAPERS:
  • Investors are taking their money out of hedge funds more now that at any time over the past 10 years, according to the Wall Street Journal. Firms are bracing for the end of June when the next big wave will hit.
  • First it was a demand for management changes, and now shareholders, including one time director Eli Broad and fund managers Shelby Davis of Davis Selected Advisors and Bill Miller of Legg Mason Inc (NYSE: LM), are again upset with American International Group Inc (NYSE: AIG) and want changes in the boardroom as well, the Wall Street Journal reported.
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) will close Old Lane Partners, a hedge fund co-founded by CEO Vikram Pandit.
OTHER PAPERS:
  • Spotlight Capital is increasing pressure on Chico's FAS Inc (NYSE: CHS) and said it has been in touch with 25 major shareholders in order to oust CEO Scott Edmonds and unseat board member John Burden, who are accused of having a conflict of interest, the New York Post reported.
WEB SITES:
  • Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NYSE: AMD) denied reports certain of its new dual-core chip, code-named Kuma, have been canceled, according to CNet. A spokesman for the company said that the launch of Kuma, scheduled for the second half of 2008, remains on track.

Newspaper wrap-up: Mixed views of Royal Bank rights issue

MAJOR PAPERS:
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that New York state's attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, has launched an investigation into auction-rate securities and is seeking information from some of Wall Street's biggest institutions including UBS AG (NYSE: UBS), Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) and Merrill Lynch & Co Inc (NYSE: MER), a person familiar with the matter said.
  • According to the Financial Times, Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) and other investment banks are working on plans to develop a clearing house for the credit derivatives markets. In an attempt to reduce counterparty risk, the banks are trying to develop a system that would only allow institutions with strong capital bases and credible trading histories to clear trades in the credit default swap markets with a central counterparty.
OTHER PAPERS:
  • The news that The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (NYSE: RBS) is planning a rights issue of between GBP5B and GBP12B received mixed reviews from British analysts and investors, the Telegraph reported. The analysts expect the bank to cut its dividend.
WEB SITES:

AMD: Borat Finance - Ish no think so ...

Advance Micro Devices Earnings (NYSE: AMD) are due out after the bell, April 17, 2008. (Click for AMD News). Investors are starting to wonder if AMD is an Acronym for: All Most Dead?

Ever since Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) announced that it had plans to partner with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), there has been a steady and rather disconcerting direction seen for Advanced Micro Device shares.

The real question is: Is it a buy into earnings? As that insightful financial analyst Borat would say: Ish no think so....

Goldman Sachs has continued its stance on AMD as a SELL: (4/8/08)
AMD downwardly revised its Q108 revenue guidance on Monday after the market close due to lower than expected sales across all business segments. The company now expects Q108 revenues to be -15% qoq or $1.5bn versus its previous expectation that Q108 revenues would be in-line with normal seasonality of -5% to -10% qoq. Additionally, AMD will be implementing a 10% workforce reduction by the end of Q308. We are reducing our estimates on lower revenues: CY08 goes to -$2.20 from -$1.65; CY09 goes to -$1.30 from -$0.75; CY10 goes to -$0.30 from $0.40.

In addition, there is an overriding concern that there has been a continual burn-rate that has become alarming. Now, AMD is saddled with over $5 billion of debt and only $1 billion of cash. Not the right balance for a tech company. This is even more worrisome as we have been seeing a rise in cash for many within the sector. In a recent WSJ article, Pui-Wing Tam explored some of the rationale as companies hoard money to protect against an economic downturn.

She pointed out a few selected tech companies cash positions as a percentage of assets: (source: WSJ/Strategas)
Apple: 62%
Google: 57%
Cisco :41%
Qualcom: 40%
eBay:39%

How does AMD compare to that? Not so well ...

Goldman goes on further to discuss the idea that at the rate of burn they are seeing, AMD will have no other alternative than to do some type of equity offering. Of course this will not be taken well by shareholders who will see further dilution of their holdings. I wonder why investors would buy shares anyway, unless they are hoping for a miraculous buyout/rescue.

Although, there the is the odd notion that Wall Street does not seem to care much if companies are in hock up to their eyebrows. In fact, in this market, AMD could actually thrive as investors are giving a pass to many companies with worse news and outlooks. Even so, while you just have to wonder how much worse it can get, I would not be involved here since there are plenty of other names that seem to have a much better outlook.

Recent BloggingStocks analysis on Intel/Apple/Microsoft/AMD:
The Co-Op of Three
AMD: a big mess right now
Things get worse, much worse, at AMD

Reuters Research Mean Recommendation: HOLD

Disclosure: Horowitz & Company clients do not hold positions of AMD as of the date of publish. BUT, they do have LONG positions in MSFT, APPL and INTC.

Andrew Horowitz is a Money manager and author of the bestseller - The Disciplined Investor - Essential Strategies for Success.

Things get worse, much worse, at AMD

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD), the maker of chips for PCs and servers, lost its chief technology officer yesterday. At a hardware company, it could be argued that the CTO is as important, if not more important, than the CEO. AMD recently announced another round of lay-offs, this time cutting 10% of its workforce. The firm also said its Q1 numbers would be disappointing.

According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Phil Hester "has been closely associated with an AMD strategy known as 'accelerated computing,' which envisions the use of special-purpose circuitry being used on chips along with general-purpose microprocessors." To put it another way, he is one of the masterminds behind AMD's plans to compete with larger rival Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC).

Each piece of news out of AMD makes the company look more like a restructuring candidate. It is hard to see why Hester would leave if he thought things were turning around. AMD has more than $5 billion of debt, most of it from buying graphics chip company ATI. The company's shares traded near their 52-week low. The firm's new forecasts may indicate that AMD will have trouble generating sufficient cash flow to service its debt.

Did someone mention Chapter 11?

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Novellus Systems (NVLS) cuts earnings outlook on spending slowdown

Most technology stocks are being dragged down again today after a gloomy statement from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) stirred new worries over the tumbling economy. Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) is joining the market anxiety after issuing a warning related to its earnings numbers. The company slashed its first-quarter earnings outlook, and said it expects revenues at the low end of the earlier expected range.

The semiconductor equipment maker now expects first-quarter earnings in a range between 15 cents and 17 cents per share, down from its previous range of 21 to 24 cents. Quarterly revenues are expected to be at the low end of the previously communicated range of $315 million and $325 million. Analysts were waiting for Novellus Systems show quarterly earnings of 23 cents a share on sales of $319.4 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

Continue reading Novellus Systems (NVLS) cuts earnings outlook on spending slowdown

Option Update: Advanced Micro Devices volatility elevated

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) lowered its outlook for 1Q08 due to lower than expected sales across all business lines.

AMD also indicated it plans to reduce 10% of its headcount by the end of 3Q08.

Jeffries & Co says: "The difficult transition to 45-nanometer geometry and large net debt position cause us to maintain our Hold rating and $7 price target."

Abu Dhabi purchased a $622 million dollar stake in AMD in November 2007.

AMD overall option implied volatility of 73 is above its 26-week average of 67 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

AMD: A big mess right now

Poor Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD). The company's stock has been a terrible performer as of late, and the chip maker delivered another batch of bad news to shareholders Monday. According to the following article, AMD intends on eliminating 10% of its work force -- this translates to about 1,800 positions.


Also, business is pretty weak; AMD announced that its sales for the recent quarter would come in around 15% lighter than what was reported last year at this time. Adding insult to injury, the top line missed the expectations of analysts; Wall Street was looking for approximately $1.6 billion in net sales -- AMD thinks it will deliver $1.5 billion.

Make no mistake, AMD is suffering. As the article makes clear, the chip maker is having a hard time generating profits. AMD will be trying its best, I'm sure, to restructure its operations so that it will once again be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. But how near is near?

Continue reading AMD: A big mess right now

Newspaper wrap-up: Schumer to speak about conversation with AMD CEO

MAJOR PAPERS:
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that private loans under the Federal Family Education Loan, or FEEL, program have begun to give way to the federal direct loan program, as private lenders run into subsidy cuts and problems raising capital. To date about 60 colleges and universities have made the switch.
  • Carl Icahn, a 6.3% Motorola Inc (NYSE: MOT) shareholder, has sued the company to get board of director documents, turning away offers of two board seats, the Wall Street Journal reported. Icahn wants information about the company's unprofitable handset business.
  • Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is expected Wednesday to announce an agreement to sell its Jaguar and Land Rover units to India's Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM) for about $2B, the Financial Times reported.
OTHER PAPERS:
  • According to the Business Review, New York State Senator Charles Schumer is planning to 'reveal details' of a conversation he had with the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NYSE: AMD) on March 21 about the company's plans to build a $3.2B computer chip plant in Saratoga County.

Option update: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) volatility elevated as shares near five-year lows

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) closed at $6.34 Friday.

Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) said it has stopped selling most consumer systems that use AMD chips on its web site.

Goldman says: "We do not believe AMD's equity is fully reflecting the risk of an AMD bankruptcy."

Abu Dhabi purchased a $622 million dollar stake in AMD on November 16th, 2007.

AMD March option implied volatility of 79 is above its 26-week average of 60 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

AMD finally gets competitive

Advanced Micro Devices logo It may be too late, but AMD (NYSE: AMD) is coming out with a product that just might do well. The company will put two of its most powerful chips on one graphics card.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The company, which has fallen behind Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) lately in high-end personal-computer graphics, says a series of benchmark tests suggest the new ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 card is the clear speed leader." Of course Nvidia is very likely to come to market with a similar product very soon.

AMD has not had much product success. Its new flagship, the Barcelona chip, was late to market and underpowered. It was set to go up against offerings from larger rival Intel (NASDAQ: INTC). There is no evidence so far that it has picked up any market share from the new product.

Nvidia is also no pushover as a competitor. Its successes have moved its market cap to $14 billion, and it trades at 3.7x sales. AMD's market cap is $4.1 billion and it trades at .7x sales. Nvidia's graphics chips are currently considered state-of-the-art.

A nice press release from AMD. A new product. Hope of better sales and revenue.

Maybe.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Newspaper wrap-up: IBM-AMD merger rumor is 'speculation gone amok'

MAJOR PAPERS:
  • Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LCAPA) filed a lawsuit in Delaware against IAC/InterActiveCorp's (NASDAQ: IACI) Barry Diller in an attempt to block Mr. Diller from completing the spinoffs of several units on terms that could dilute Liberty's voting power; the suit follows a suit filed by IAC against Liberty seeking to complete the divestiture on its own terms, the Wall Street Journal said.
OTHER PAPERS:
  • The Evening Standard learned that billionaire Wilbur Ross is in takeover talks with AMBAC Financial Group Inc (NYSE: ABK) and that a deal could come within the next two weeks.
WEB SITES:

Earnings highlights: Intel, IBM, GM, Apple, AMD, and others

Here are a few highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

See additional earnings highlights. Also, Jim Cramer ponders the ennui of the new earnings season. Georges Yared is bullish on tech stocks, and big tech executives are bullish as well. Jonathan Berr looks ahead to upcoming big tech reports.

Other upcoming results to watch for include Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT), Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), E*Trade Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFN), and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Last updated: December 02, 2008: 10:24 AM

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