Advantest

East Asian and Australian stock markets opened with moderate gains on positive US cues after weaker US jobs data eased fears of interest-rate hikes. In Tokyo the tech rally led the advance: Nikkei +2.4%, Topix +1.4%, Advantest rose about 4% and Tokyo Electron about 5.2%. TSMC gained roughly 3% after reports of a possible collaboration with Elon Musk's Terafab; falling oil prices and a G7 release of strategic reserves also supported the markets. » More on finanzen.net

Advantest's stock rose sharply in Tokyo after positive U.S. inflation data and sales forecasts from U.S. memory manufacturers bolstered expectations of sustained AI-driven chip demand. Technology and semiconductor stocks gained broadly; leading chip companies also advanced in Seoul and Taipei. By contrast, Australia saw mixed developments, with the market falling sharply due to high interest rates. » More on finanzen.net

After Q2 reports, Morgan Stanley sees upside for semiconductor equipment suppliers and has upgraded its outlook for wafer fabrication equipment, driven by DRAM as well as advanced logic and foundry. According to the bank, Advantest stands out as the frontrunner and received an upward revision to its full-year forecast along with a positive capacity outlook. Morgan Stanley rates Advantest as a top pick and also favors Tokyo Electron, noting that an update on capacity expansion could provide further share-price momentum. » More on de.investing.com

Advantest approved at the general meeting a dividend of 59.00 JPY for 2026, an increase of 51.28% versus the previous year. A total of 35.75 billion JPY will be paid out to shareholders; the dividend yield is 0.29% (previous year 0.60%). The stock is trading ex-dividend; the real five-year return (price + dividend) is 1,205.37%. FactSet analysts expect a dividend of 104.72 JPY for 2027 with a yield of around 0.32%. » More on finanzen.net

Advantest reported record figures for the first fiscal quarter of 2026: net income rose 93.8% to ¥174.8 billion, revenue increased 39.3% to ¥367.5 billion, and operating profit climbed 53.3% to ¥190.0 billion. The gains were driven by strong demand for test systems for AI and high-performance computing chips, and were supported by a weaker yen. A financial gain of ¥44.7 billion from valuation gains on financial instruments lifted net income beyond the operational growth. Advantest significantly raised its full-year targets — revenue to ¥1.714 trillion, operating profit to ¥846 billion and net income to ¥660 billion — while noting risks such as potential additional costs from the situation in the Middle East. » More on finanzen.net