Aixtron, Aspermont, LPKF - Starting signal for further price gains

AIXTRON SE - Share price up 30% last week

The share price of Aachen-based AIXTRON shot up by 30% last week, reaching a 10-year high. At prices around EUR 22.50, the MDAX stock is now valued at EUR 2.6 billion. The Group has secured several major orders in the short term and expects strong customer demand for the rest of the year. As a result, this has prompted management to raise its forecast for the current fiscal year.

The LED and chip industry equipment supplier now expects incoming orders between EUR 420 million and EUR 460 million (previously EUR 340 million to EUR 380 million). In addition, an increase in sales from EUR 400 million to EUR 440 million is advised, which is EUR 80 million more than before. Very encouragingly, this is also linked to an expansion of the operating profit margin. The EBIT margin is now expected to be 20% to 22%; previously, the benchmark was around 18%. Analysts reacted to the improved corporate guidance with increased forecasts and price targets. The private bank Berenberg now expects the share price to reach EUR 28 within a year.

The specialty equipment manufacturer is one of the world's leading suppliers of deposition equipment for the semiconductor industry, both to produce on an industrial scale and provide systems for research and development (R&D) and pre-series production. The devices made are used in a wide range of innovative applications, technologies and industries. These include laser, LED, display technologies, data transmission, communications, signal and lighting, and many other demanding high-tech applications. Demand is rising steadily, which means that the Company is also regularly traded as a takeover candidate due to its market position. Driving demand remains the desire for higher energy efficiency, processing and transmission speed of data, 3D sensing applications and innovative display technologies.

ASPERMONT LIMITED - Scaling and monetization are the magic words

Australian Company Aspermont is the leading media services provider to the global resource industry. The Company is the market leader with the two longest-serving regular publications for Mining Journal and Mining Magazine. The transition from print to media took time, but success has come. The digital transformation strategy included launching the XaaS (Anything as a Service) model for B2B media that distributes high-quality content at a cost to a growing global audience. This versatile model can be scaled to serve new businesses in new countries and languages.

As a global B2B service provider whose success is based on the publications mentioned above, the massive database of more than 7 million selected contacts in leadership positions is added as a critical asset. This data is now being monetized step by step. The highly scalable service spectrum as XaaS primarily comprises "content." In addition, cross-selling leverages commercial success. During the Corona pandemic, Aspermont created a new Virtual Event & Exhibition (VEE) division - this was a bull's eye! For the VEE platforms, Aspermont has succeeded in acquiring over 100 new business customers in a very short time, even away from its focus industries. The debt-free company is currently valued at AUD 68 million and should be priced significantly higher in the medium term due to its extensive scaling and growth potential.

LPKF LASER & ELECTRONICS AG - Signal effect

Things are also going well at LPKF. The technology company recently received a follow-up order from the semiconductor industry. A leading global chip manufacturer installed its first LIDE system in early 2020 and initially used it for its product development following a qualification phase. The customer has now ordered additional LIDE systems to enter the volume production of electronic components with chip packages made of glass. Although the volume of the order is manageable at EUR 5 to 8 million, the Company sees it as having a significant signal effect.

The LIDE (Laser Induced Deep Etching) method developed by LPKF makes it possible to process thin glass quickly, precisely and without damage. In a sense, this makes the technique a basic technology for many areas of microsystems technology where microchips, displays, or sensors are the focus. With this first use of LIDE systems in series production, LPKF has now reached an important milestone, underscoring its role as a leading provider of laser-based solutions for the technology industry. Founded in 1976, the Company is currently valued at around EUR 630 million at share prices of just under EUR 26.