Silicon Laboratories
Fourth-quarter sales grew 28% year over year to $127 million, while non-GAAP earnings shot up to $0.66 per share. Things look even brighter on the GAAP side of the street, but that's mostly thanks to a one-time tax credit that added $0.40 per share to the bottom line.
The company is busy promoting new TV tuners to makers of handsets and set-top boxes around the world. A typical seasonal pullback from Silicon Labs' large customer Samsung was more than counterbalanced by new contracts and ramp-ups elsewhere. The company didn't name the boosters specifically, but major customers include other multinational giants like Panasonic
Silicon Labs recently realigned its divisions into a simpler and more cross-functional structure, hoping to extract cost-saving and innovation-boosting synergies from the new structure. I have a feeling that the company's advanced TV tuner chips could make their way into a number of mobile gadgets this year, which opens up whole new markets. The Apple
Do you think we'll see TV tablets (with Silicon Labs tuners inside) this year or next -- or not at all? Open your heart (gently) in the comment box below.