AMD Blinks in Intel Battle
Bill Snyder
07/07/06 - 12:02 PM EDT
Slowing demand for PCs and the beginnings of a price war with
Intel have taken their toll on
Advanced Micro Devices, which lowered its second-quarter sales forecast late Thursday.
The news wasn't completely unexpected; some analysts had already lowered their sales estimates, and the
selloff that followed wasn't terribly sharp in the wake of a broader market working back from opening losses.
In recent trading on Friday, shares of AMD were off 39 cents, or 1.6%, to $23.44, while Intel had gained 3 cents to $18.88.
Intel hasn't yet preannounced its upcoming quarterly results, which are expected on July 19, although some analysts believe a warning -- or an earnings report below estimates -- may still come.
AMD now expects second-quarter revenue of $1.22 billion, up 52%
from a year ago but down 9% from the first quarter. AMD had previously
forecast second-quarter sales that were equal to or down slightly from the
first quarter. Analysts were expecting sales of $1.31 billion, according to
Thomson First Call.
AMD did not give EPS guidance for the quarter, but analysts are looking
for a profit of 28 cents a share.
The culprits in the top-line miss were slower-than-expected demand for
both notebook and desktop PCs, although demand for the company's Opteron chips, used to power servers, remained strong, AMD said.
Bear Stearns analyst Gurinder Kalra said there appears to be a buildup of processor inventory in the distribution channel and at AMD itself, which suggests "more aggressive price cuts and an inventory correction."
He added, however, "that PC builds are heading in a positive direction"
for the third quarter and said he may consider revising his neutral stance
on the stock. Bear Stearns does not have an investment banking relationship
with AMD.
The company didn't offer a forecast on gross margins, but analyst Eric
Gomberg at Thomas Weisel Partners cuts his estimate to 53.5% from 56.5%,
down from a record 58.5% in the first quarter. His company is seeking
investment banking business with AMD
Despite AMD's continued strength in server chips, Intel's
recent launch of its own high-end server
chip, the Xeon 5100, or Woodcrest, is something of an overhang on
the stock.
