Actually, one of the major reasons for the recent increase in share price for AMD is an article that came out in Barron's last weekend...
Barrons article text
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 6:49 a.m. EDT
THE BOTTOM LINE
Once AMD spins off its flash business, the mounting profitability of its microprocessor operation will come into full view. In two years, the stock could be near $50.
On AMD's Menu: Eating Intel's Lunch
By RHONDA BRAMMER
THERE ARE A BUNCH OF REASONS WHY you might be tempted to sell Advanced Micro Devices.
Not the least of them is that the stock of this plucky upstart, No. 2 to mighty Intel in microprocessors, has run from 7 and change a little over three years ago when we did our first feature on the company to a shade under $25 and is still around 23. Taking a profit is usually not a bad thing to do.
Or perhaps you're worried that demand for personal computers, which has been robust for a spell now, just may -- in spite of what upbeat industry pundits predict -- be ready to roll over, and that obviously would not be good news for the chip makers generally.
Or, understandably, you might be concerned that AMD's flash-memory business, which accounts for about 40% of total sales, is capital-intensive and losing a ton of money.
But this time, it truly pays to resist temptation.
Pure and simple, the prospects for Advanced Micro Devices have never been brighter. While semiconductor stocks are always subject to bouts of vertigo and AMD would suffer with the rest if, say, PC sales started to flag, it would still likely fare better than the competition because it's gaining market share in high-end processors at a dazzling pace.
Edit: AMD closed Friday at $25.20...high for the day was $25.75