Beautiful Woman
The spring
in
her step
has
turned to
fall.-- A.R. Ammons
I love small, successful high-tech companies with rock-solid balance sheets. When they go down, they fall hard -- Mr. Market holds no mercy for small caps. But when they rebound, the spring in their step can be tremendous.
Wi-Fi chip maker Atheros Communications
The bad news makes sense, because Atheros sells its products to ailing gadget makers and consumer electronics mavens such as Motorola
So here's the good news, if you're not that familiar with Atheros: The balance sheet is squeaky clean, with no debt and $289 million of cash and equivalents. Atheros remains a well-respected leader in Wi-Fi technology, with announcements about significant new products nearly every quarter. And the company piggybacks on a long-standing marketing partnership with Qualcomm
Given these very tangible advantages, there is no doubt in my mind that Atheros will come back strong when the global thirst for advanced consumer electronics returns. Sure, you can buy Sony or Apple with the same rebound in mind, but Atheros looks poised to deliver even greater returns, because it's small, focused, and rock-solid -- like any good Motley Fool Hidden Gems pick should be.
Further Foolishness: