New Products Brighten Gennum’s Outlook

Article Excerpt

GENNUM CORP. $16 (Toronto symbol GND; SI Rating: Above average) makes chips and related components for a wide variety of industrial and consumer electronic products. Its video products division makes chips for TV display manufacturers, and supplies about 70% of its total revenue. Gennum’s products transport video signals without losing picture quality. Gennum’s audio division, which makes chips that power two-thirds of the world’s hearing aids, accounts for 25% of its revenue. The remaining 5% comes from computer network equipment. Gennum’s revenue rose from $93.1 million in 2001 (fiscal years end November 30) to $142.7 million in 2005. Earnings grew from $0.30 a share (total $10.5 million) in 2001 to $0.43 a share ($15.3 million) in 2003, but fell to $0.38 a share ($13.5 million) in 2004 due to a loss at the audio division. Losses at the audio division grew in fiscal 2005, but a 36% jump in video profits raised Gennum’s total earnings to $0.57 a share ($20.4 million). Research nearly…