If you thought electronics manufacturing services were boring, you've got another think coming. Quick-turn circuit board maker TTM Technologies (Nasdaq: TTMI) is racing to two-year highs today after gaining more than 19% thanks to a very exciting third-quarter report. And TTM isn't the only top-notch performer in its industry:
|
Company |
Gain Since Aug. 31, 2010 |
1-Year Gain |
CAPS Score (out of 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTM | 58% | 14% | **** |
| Flextronics (Nasdaq: FLEX) | 43% | 11% | **** |
| Sanmina-SCI (Nasdaq: SANM) | 34% | 95% | ** |
| Jabil Circuit (NYSE: JBL) | 44% | 14% | **** |
Sources: Motley Fool CAPS and Google Finance.
None of these stock charts are suitable for investors with weak stomachs as the stocks are apt to double, halve, and double again on short notice. They all sport Beta ratios high above the market-average 1.0 mark. And right now, TTM Technologies is a hot property.
Third-quarter sales of $358 million and $0.43 of non-GAAP earnings per diluted share both beat guidance and expectations, or crushed them in the case of earnings. The integration with pan-Asian manufacturer Meadville that started nearly a year ago is going better than expected, and it added $0.15 per share to this quarter's bottom line.
That deal was very, very good to TTM. The customer base is now much wider across end-market industries, the company just about doubled instantly in size to become one of the largest circuit board manufacturers in the world, and margins of every flavor are much stronger now than they were before. "Our scale, diversified customer base and end markets, as well as the strategic initiatives we have taken to date to enhance operating efficiencies, have combined to drive better results," explains CEO Kent Alder.
The jumpy results in this industry may scare away some investors, and only four Wall Street analysts follow TTM today. With such light market coverage, it's not surprising to see TTM shocking the Street on a regular basis: The best stocks are often small, obscure, and overlooked. This company is still on the upswing, working off initial skepticism about the Meadville deal by beating earnings targets in every quarter since the merger took effect. The stock is a big winner in my CAPS portfolio, where it's been an "outperform" call since last April. You can follow my all-star lead by clicking here.
