Why Tower Semiconductors Is One of Monday’s Biggest Earnings Losers

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
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Why Tower Semiconductors Is One of Monday’s Biggest Earnings Losers

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When Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ: TSEM) released its third-quarter financial results before the markets opened on Monday, the company said that it had $0.33 in earnings per share (EPS) and $322.6 million in revenue. Consensus estimates had called for $0.40 in EPS and revenue of $335.04 million, and the same period of last year reportedly had EPS of $0.54 on $354.56 million in revenue.

Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the company expects to see revenues of approximately $340 million, with a range of 5% up or down. Consensus estimates call for $0.53 in EPS and $364.51 million in revenue for the coming quarter.

During the latest quarter, the company noted cash from operations of $69 million with free cash flow of $29 million. Also, cash generation from operations year-to-date was $221 million, with $315 million net cash balance as of the end of the quarter.

[nativounit]

CEO Russell Ellwanger commented:

We entered the year having decided to focus on profitability, rather than utilizing valuable capacity for lower margin businesses. This has had a greater than expected revenue impact in 2018 while building the higher value mix and with some high-end replacements not having met customer forecasts. The present overall market softness has had a recent notable impact across our business units, with a fourth quarter revenue roll-up lower than previous expectations. However, we expect to see fourth quarter margins increase as a result of this much richer products mix.

Shares of Tower Semiconductors were last seen down about 16% at $14.95 Monday morning, with a consensus analyst price target of $29.75 and a 52-week trading range of $14.77 to $36.69.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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