Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, LED equipment maker Veeco Instruments
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Veeco's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Veeco facts
| Headquarters (Founded) | Plainview, N.Y. (1945) |
| Market Cap | $1.88 billion |
| Industry | Semiconductor equipment |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $850.11 million |
| Management |
CEO John Peeler (since 2007) CFO David Glass (since 2010) |
| Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) | 0.5% |
| Cash/Debt | $435.26 million / $103.29 million |
| Competitors |
Agilent Technologies
Applied Materials
Aixtron |
Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 94% of the 422 members who have rated Veeco believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include Rmorris81 and Peetie2investor.
Just last month, CAPS member tapped Veeco as a particularly timely pick: "I like this company for many reasons and think the recent downgrade and drop in price, amplified by large amounts of short selling, is just a short term setback. ... It also keeps popping up on everyone's radar as a takeover candidate."
Veeco's strong competitive position and cheapish valuation have made it an increasingly popular play on the growth of LED lighting. Currently, Veeco even trades at a price-to-cash flow (8.5) discount to rivals Agilent (20.7), Applied Materials (10.8), and Aixtron (14.9), as well as LED bellwether Cree
CAPS member Peetie2investor elaborates on Veeco as a bright decision:
Given its recent EPS growth, this manufacturer of machines that make LEDs and thin solar films appears to be a value and a growth play rolled into one. Investing in a hot industry (LED and solar) is always a dicey proposition, but that's usually because the companies are so overpriced. That's not the case with [Veeco].
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