The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +1.62%) was down 48.45 points or a modest 0.28% today as the market prepares for a slew of earnings reports across the week. The S&P 500's (^GSPC +1.02%) loss was slightly narrower, shedding only 0.23%. Bucking this trend, though, were ASML Holding (ASML +3.19%), Glu Mobile (GLUU +0.00%), and Tessera (TSRA +0.00%).
ASML Holdings catches an upgrade
ASML Holding, a leading vendor of lithography equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors, saw its shares slump following its Q2 earnings call at which it gave tepid guidance for the rest of the year. This weakness does not appear to be indicative of any issue with ASML, but instead with a delay from the semiconductor foundries in ramping their next generation 14/16-nanometer FinFET technologies, which means delayed orders for ASML's equipment.
Until the foundries -- principally Taiwan Semiconductor and Samsung -- can ramp 14/16-nanometer FinFET into production at high yields, which means a good cost structure, then ASML will probably continue to see relative softness. The good news, according to today's upgrade from Pacific Crest, is that the ramp of these next generation technologies next year (assuming the issues are worked out on the foundries' side) should prove a boon for ASML.
Shares were up 1.89% on Monday following this upgrade.
More Kardashian love for Glu Mobile
Shares of Glu Mobile have been on fire lately, with the recent success of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, helping to drive a significant boost in expectations for the mobile game publisher. In particular, Cowen & Company raised its full-year 2014 estimates up from $159.5 million in sales and $0.03 in earnings per share to $212 million and $0.26 in earnings per share, respectively.
These numbers are substantially above consensus of $164 million in sales and $0.04 in 2014. If Cowen is right, then the shares – while still expensive at just under 29 times 2014 earnings – becomes a much more interesting value than where the shares sit today. Further, if Kim Kardashian: Hollywood turns out to have longer-term staying power, then future estimates may eventually be revised upward, too.
That said, as the shares have nearly doubled since the launch of this game (and were up over 10% today after Cowen's estimate revision), the expectations going into the firm's earning report scheduled for July 30 may already assume that this game is a big hit.
Tessera moves higher as shares upgraded ahead of Q2 report
Tessera, which develops and licenses a multitude of semiconductor and semiconductor-packaging related IP, moved 5.79% higher today after Craig-Hallum initiated the company with a "buy" rating. This initiation comes ahead of the company's earnings report, scheduled for release on August 4.
Analysts are looking for the company to post $0.00 per share in earnings on $31.5 million in revenues for the current quarter. Further, they are looking for $81.5 million in sales in the following quarter, with earnings per share jumping to $0.61.
