Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of nanoscale tools designer FEI Co.
So what: Citing strong orders in its research and industry segment, FEI reported 27% year-over-year sales growth and nearly double last year's earnings. The growth trend is expected to continue into the fourth quarter, and gross margins are strong enough to surprise the company's own management.
Now what: FEI's order backlog is nearly three times the size of its quarterly sales, so sales will come in about as fast as the company can make, ship, and bill for its instruments. FEI has $7.69 of net cash per share on the balance sheet and is actively buying back senior notes to reduce both its debt balance and the diluted share count. What's not to love about this official Rule Breaker and five-star CAPS stock?
Interested in more info on FEI? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.
