It's still pretty tough out there if you're in the laser business. While Newport (NEWP) and II-VI (IIVI) have come alive in the last three months and Coherent (COHR) and Rofin-Sinar (RSTI) are both in the green for the full year, only Newport has kept pace with the S&P 500. Even so, IPG Photonics (IPGP)
has done even worse, as wobbly quarterly performance and weak end
markets like industrial welding and automotive have discouraged
investors in this volatile laser company.
Still, I think there are
better days ahead for this leading fiber laser company. Fiber lasers
continue to gain share in the growing laser market, and the number of
applications for fiber lasers has only been increasing. Not only does
IPG Photonics enjoy a strong IP position and a good reputation for
innovation, but the company's vertical integration allows it to produce
lasers at considerably lower costs than its rivals - leaving the company
free to compete on features when it can, and price when it must.
On
a cash flow basis, I believe these shares are about 25% undervalued
today, and I do expect rather aggressive adoption and growth for the
company over the next five and ten years. EV/EBITDA also supports the
notion that these shares are undervalued, and though global industrial
capex spending remains a major unknown, I believe the success of IPG
Photonics is more weighted toward "when" than "if".
Please go to Seeking Alpha for the full article:
IPG Photonics Looking To Innovation And Integration
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