Scotteq :
Towards that end - I'd like to point out that Moody's have upgraded AMD's credit worthiness from B3 to B2. Still not "good". But certainly less bad.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Moodys-raises-AMD-apf-3385572481.html?x=0&.v=1
NEW YORK (AP) -- Moody's Investors Service said Monday it is hiking its credit ratings for Advanced Micro Devices Inc. after the chip maker won a $1.25 billion settlement in its antitrust dispute with rival Intel Corp.
Moody's raised AMD's overall rating to B2, up one notch from B3. The agency also raised its rating on $390 million in notes due 2012 to B2, up two notches from Caa1. A B2 is still considered non-investment, or "junk," grade.
The ratings outlook is "Positive."
Moody's said the settlement will help AMD lower its debt level and allow it to operate more effectively by cutting its capital costs.
Though Intel has not admitted to any wrong doing, it has agreed to pay AMD the $1.25 billion rather than risk going to trial. AMD has accused Intel of using unfair sales tactics to push competitors out of the market.
AMD shares were down 7 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $6.46 in afternoon trading, while Intel, which announced Monday it was raising its dividend, jumped 43 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $20.25.
jennyh :
It really isn't bad...seriously I dunno what is up with these 'analysts' or what they are on sometimes. I think all they do is look at the finances and nothing else, but in order to get to the true worth of a company you need to understand that company.
AMD could flog the fabs to ATIC and they'd be debt free, fab R&D free, in the black and making a profit coming out of a recession. On top of that they have a dominant position in graphics and a good budget-midrange in cpu's - and if Thuban is out in January/February they will probably have the fastest cpu too. Finally? Intel have just signed up to a lot of measures that prevent them from acting like the monopoly they are.
How can anybody suggest AMD are in bad shape now? They just don't know the company.
Understand that Moody's don't care a whit about what the gizmo/gadget does. They are purely financial creatures, and are concerned only with a given company's fiscal muscle. So your assesment that they look at the finances and nothing else is correct. Please understand, though, AMD's credit was
upgraded - this is still a good thing.
But if you want us to believe that somehow doesn't matter, because Moody's don't 'know the company'. That's going to be a more difficult sale. Firstly, Moodys are one of the "Big Three" rating firms and as such set the standards for corporate credit; and they have been following AMD for well over a decade. Granted, they're only one source and a serious investor would also check with Standard and Poor's, and Fitch
(the other two of the three I mentioned) but still... Moodys have been around and providing this service for a hundred years
(really! est. 1909).
Bad Credit? We all know it's hard to get loans at competitive rates. But more appropriate on this scale is that your ability to sell bonds - if you can find people who will even carry them for you - is greatly hurt. Semiconductors are a capital intensive industry, and a given company's credit rating directly impacts their ability to raise cash for their projects. Complaints about Intel's R&D? Corporate bonds are where the financing comes for future projects, guys.
Purely opinion, but I would at least partly attribute AMD's weak credit rating to slow product delivery and
(potentially) to the rather overpublicised bugs in PH I. Why? If the company were able to raise more cash to to fund their R&D, they logically should have been able to deliver more quickly and test more thoroughly. Now that we're in PH II land, it's clearly water under the bridge - BUT... If they had the credit/funding then?? How much better would/could they be now?
As for your second paragraph - Yah, AMD could do those things. But they haven't yet. If the processor is as good as you guys would have us believe, then great! As for the others? The long term value in doing those things is still arguable. Say TSMC quickly turn profitable. What then? If AMD sell their share, then that's ongoing income traded away for a very short term pop. Nice to have money now, but better still to make the longer term investment and shore up the company's future.