Iqe Share Discussion Threads

[sweenoid] 01/2/2018 11:14

I wouldn’t even wipe my bum with the IC,

:-)
Research is so easy to do, analysis is the difficult bit! Qorvo( our 2nd biggest customer) reckon 5G will start rolling out big-time way ahead of expectations in the 1st half of 2019- 5 G is going to be HUGE for IQE, fair does the IQE CEO has said in the last 2 AGM’s that 5G was coming faster than anyone was currently estimating. their comments re GAN were also extremely positive, at last it’s making a big move in the RF basestations market, and big noises too about IOT - another huge area of revenue growth for IQE.
S

[hoverflyman] 01/2/2018 11:13

Approaching escape velocity? :)

[rossy73] 01/2/2018 10:36

Think it's fair to say that shorters are hanging to the hair of their teeth right now!

[hammerd2] 01/2/2018 10:31

It's been a while since I've read such a lot of old balls, but then I do have rather a lot of posters on filter so it's saved me a lot of time. I count at least 6 factual errors in that IC piece. Do people pay for that ?

OK, lest we get too carried away with shorts, etc a quick tech question that I can't recall seeing discussed here before, or at least answered. Does anyone know how roughly how many individual VCSELs can be lifted off a 6" wafer ?

[squire007] 01/2/2018 10:30

120p day today ...;-)

[hannath] 01/2/2018 10:22

.... last paragraph refers to my comment several days ago about your car starting when it see's you in the drivers seat .... or your front door unlocking as you approach it ...etc

[pbutterworth1] 01/2/2018 10:22

IC late and on the fence as usual. still, a bedtime read for other reasons :-)

[pbutterworth1] 01/2/2018 10:18

Soon tsmith. A actually think any move to 99p will precipitate huge buying. ie its not going to 80 or anywhere near it

[hannath] 01/2/2018 10:18

Just out on Investors Chronicle ....

IQE’s big short
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IQE’s big short
By Megan Boxall

There is much to be said about investing in momentum. The past few years in particular have provided investors in many UK companies with a virtuous circle of good news, share price surges, rising capital and, thus, more good news.

But when that sentiment reverses, company share prices have a habit of coming unstuck quickly. That is what has happened at semiconductor specialist IQE (IQE). Following a 379 per cent share price rise between January and November 2017, the shares have since fallen 41 per cent from their 52-week high. Sure, at 108p they are still 173 per cent higher than this time last year, but investors who only jumped on the IQE bandwagon in the past couple of months will be nursing heavy losses.

Driving the change in momentum is the growing presence of hedge funds on the shareholder register. Following the increased holding of Marshall Wace earlier in January, IQE is now the fourth most shorted company on the London Stock Exchange, with 11.8 per cent of its shares being bet against. In fact, Marshall Wace’s 4.3 per cent short position makes it the fifth biggest investor in the group.

IQE:LSE
IQE PLC

1mth
Today change
0.19% Price (GBP)
107.00
The hedge fund is not alone in its concerns. Six other managers have short positions of more than 0.5 per cent, T Rowe Price – IQE’s single biggest shareholder – recently disposed of 5.5m shares and five more of the group’s top 10 largest investors have reduced their positions since November.

IQE develops and sells advanced wafers for use in semiconductors. For example, its vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is a crucial component in the facial recognition technology of the iPhone X. For many years, the group has enjoyed a dominant market position, which has been unassailable due to the challenges in developing competitive products. But now, the short sellers seem convinced that IQE’s market-leading position is under threat. Moreover, the group is slightly dependent on its contract with Apple (US:AAPL).

So, are the hedge funds right to be concerned, and should private investors follow their lead and get out now?

House broker Peel Hunt thinks not. In December, the broker upgraded its earnings expectations for both 2018 and 2019 by 10 per cent to take account of “an even better outlook”. In fact, all five of the brokers that regularly cover IQE suggest investors should keep buying.

Admittedly, there are some reasons to remain optimistic about the semiconductor specialist. Global customers are increasingly adopting VCSEL and this is helping to drive up both the volume and quality of revenues. Concerns about IQE’s reliance on Apple can be overstated, according to Peel Hunt analyst Andrew Shepherd-Barron. “The iPhone X contract is an easy hook to hang your hat on, but there is more to VCSELs than smartphones and more to IQE than VCSELs”. In the future, facial recognition technology is likely to be used in a range of devices and “IQE is very well placed”, he said.

[tsmith2] 01/2/2018 09:42

anyone feeling a short squeeze is coming?

[squire007] 01/2/2018 09:30

Insti buying to put pressure on them to close ..... funny old world .. lol

[mad foetus] 01/2/2018 09:12

I think the volume is the key thing. Can't see who will sell at this level. Drop it some more and there might be some who decide to throw in the towel at sub £1. Raise the price and some who bought around this level might sell for 5-10% profit. But it seems to me the sellers are exhausted. Having said that, there is no sign that the shorters are looking to buy back.

[turnerpa51] 01/2/2018 09:08

Shorters trying to trash a great share or do they know more than is out in the market place? Anyway looking at chart there has to be a bounce sometime soon as another poster said I agree they are trying to get sub a quid, but then assuming nothing terrible happens news wise the shorters surely have to think about closing?

[hammerd2] 01/2/2018 09:04

Monday opened at 105. That's lower than 107.

[richardc77] 01/2/2018 09:02

Maybe another test of £1, maybe. Imo will take some effort to close below it.

[poombear] 01/2/2018 08:53

Sp has started the day at its lowest level for some months. Is this the sub £1 day?

[poombear] 01/2/2018 07:22

This is a link to the Qorvo call transcript. Some interesting info in the opening statements, specifically around 5g, GAN and base stations.

[thrgef] 01/2/2018 06:01

Exactly, there's too much emphasis on the iPhone X sales. If IQE's products are going to be used in all new Apple phones and tablets, where is the problem? There isn't one.Demand is only going to increase to mass market use.

[sailastra] 01/2/2018 00:24

The worry short term concentrates on sales of IPhone x which was the driver for the share price during Q4 2017
There is a growing fear that Q1 and maybe Q2 2018 are going to be poor re those expectations...
The company has tried to reassure us that, this is not the case...I hope they are on the ball, otherwise there is big trouble ahead..
It is vital that the last PR statement from the company was reliable

[sweenoid] 31/1/2018 23:01

IQE have been ‘showing’ at Photonics West show in San Francisco yesterday, today and tomorrow at booth 6043

It’s the largest and perhaps most important PHOTONICS show in the world



Doesn’t even get a mention on the IQE web-site :-(

Just something like “we are appearing at X and showcasing the broadest portfolio of world- beating photonics products available” would do nicely chaps!
I know some might think this is like ‘splitting hairs’, but for me, it’s ‘attention to detail’ and I do like ‘attention to even the most minor detail’

S

[blueflame] 31/1/2018 22:21

Qorvo up 10 per cent after hours after releasing results. Should be good for IQE hopefully.

[horneblower] 31/1/2018 20:26

I will lol when Apple announce tomorrow that worldwide sales of their iPhone X have exceeded expectations.
Will the price get above 130p when that is released?
What time is Apple due to release?