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Technology Stocks Atmel - the trend is about to change

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To: Ian@SI who wrote (13536)	7/17/2006 11:26:48 AM
From: BMcV	of 13565

<<Atmel will retain rights to its patented finger print scanning recognition technology.>> Spedread this as "Atmel will retain rights to its patented finger pointing recognition technology." Now that would be worth some $$!

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To: BWAC who wrote (13539)	7/17/2006 1:23:54 PM
From: Dave O.	of 13565

< My guess is they were looking out for their own fat salaries and the granting of some more options to themselves for absolute failure to grow the business or generate a return for shareholders the last 10 years. > Actually in the last 10 years one could have made some good $$$ with ATML. 10 years ago (7/96) it was at $6.81 (split adjusted) and was near $30 by 2000. That's 300+%. Semi's are cyclical and not buy & hold IMO. My perspective may be different as I bought in the past couple years in the $2's and $3's and sold into strength and then rebuy on weakness. Not many stocks I'd hold long term, most are trading vehicles IMO.

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To: Dave O. who wrote (13541)	7/25/2006 12:41:13 PM
From: sixty2nds	of 13565

09:01 ATML Atmel Postpones Second Quarter Earnings Release (4.82 ) Co announced today that it has postponed its Q2 2006 earnings announcement and conference call previously scheduled for July 25, 2006. The Co also announced that the Audit Committee of the Co's Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation regarding timing of past stock option grants and other potentially related issues. The Co will not announce its Q2 results or file its 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2006 until after the completion of the investigation. The Co does not expect the investigation to be completed prior to the due date for the Co's Q2 10-Q, August 9, 2006, or the extended due date of August 14, 2006. Atmel executives will refrain from commenting further until the independent investigation is concluded.

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From: sixty2nds	8/7/2006 9:45:53 AM
	of 13565

09:02 ATML Atmel: George Perlegos, Gust Perlegos and two additional officers terminated; CEO appointed (4.67 ) Co announces that its Board of Directors has appointed Steven Laub, currently a director of ATML and over 15-year industry veteran, as the co's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Laub's appointment follows the unanimous decision of the Board's independent directors to terminate George Perlegos, as President and CEO; Gust Perlegos, as Exec VP, Office of the President; the VP and General Counsel and Assistant Secretary; and the VP of Planning and Information Technology. The Board's decision was made following an independent investigation into allegations regarding the misuse of corporate travel funds. George Perlegos and Gust Perlegos have been asked to resign as directors of the co.

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From: sixty2nds	8/7/2006 2:37:43 PM
	of 13565

11:23 ATML Atmel: New managers could accelerate restructuring actions - Wedbush Morgan (4.80 +0.13) -Update- Wedbush Morgan notes that ATML announced that it has terminated Chairman and CEO George Perlagos, Exec VP Gust Perlagos, VP and General Counsel, and the VP of Planning and IT for misuse of corporate travel funds. Firm says today's announcement increases the likelihood that ATML shareholders and co mgmt would be more open to a takeover offer, which could be meaningfully higher than the current stock price. Also, firm says a more objective and independent CEO could accelerate the firm's restructuring activities, potentially exiting unprofitable businesses or closing inefficient factories sooner than the previous mgmt team. On the other hand the firm says that the Perlago's alleged misuse of corporate travel funds, along with the firm's investigation into options backdating, could be representative of a larger systemic problem with general corporate governance issues at ATML

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To: sixty2nds who wrote (13544)	8/7/2006 4:06:55 PM
From: tech101	of 13565

With the Perlagos ousted, ATML will double in no time.

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To: sixty2nds who wrote (13544)	8/7/2006 4:25:04 PM
From: JDN	of 13565

Oh my Gawd, who would have ever thought?? jdn

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From: Ian@SI	10/11/2006 12:43:31 PM
	of 13565

UPDATE: FMR Boosts Stake In Atmel; Ex-CEO Said Mulling Bid djones SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) - FMR Corp., which owns the Fidelity Investments family of mutual funds, said Tuesday it boosted its share of chip maker Atmel Corp. to a near-12% stake, adding the world's third-largest mutual fund company to a list of buyers interesting in acquiring more of the company's shares. FMR now owns 56.8 million Atmel shares, making Fidelity's parent company the largest Atmel shareholder, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The disclosure comes as Atmel's ousted chief executive, George Perlegos, is said to be mulling a bid for Atmel to retake control of the company he founded over 20 years ago, according to two people familiar with Perlegos plans. Perlegos, who in May balked at a preliminary takeover offer from RDG Capital LLC worth $2.7 billion, or $5.50 a share, has been meeting with private equity firms to drum up interest for his bid, said these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The heightened takeover interest in Atmel, which makes chips used in cell phones, disk drives and car alarms, has helped push the company's shares (ATML) up 92% this year. The stock has risen 26% since Aug. 4, the trading day before Perlegos was ousted. Atmel, which has been trying to transform itself from a memory chip firm to a microcontroller provider, is the latest in a series of semiconductor firms to be targeted by private equity buyers. Freescale Semiconductor Inc. (FSL) agreed Sept. 15 to sell itself to an investment consortium led by the Blackstone Group for $17.6 billion. Philips Semiconductor was sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts Company and Silver Lake Partners for $9.5 billion on Aug. 3. Although the RDG Capital's preliminary overture was rejected by Perlegos, RDG Capital head Russell Glass told MarketWatch in August he's still interested in pursuing a transaction. When reached for this article, Glass declined comment. Two-pronged strategy Perlegos, who owns about 7% of Atmel shares, was fired along with his brother Gust by the company's board on Aug. 7, allegedly for misusing corporate travel funds. However, the brothers have sued Atmel for wrongful termination, saying they were victims of an airfare booking scheme carried out by a former employee. A hearing on the matter is tentatively slated for Oct. 17 in Delaware Chancery Court. Atmel is based in San Jose, Calif. Regardless of what happens in court, Perlegos will have a say in any sale of the company, as he still owns 6.9% of Atmel's outstanding shares. Stephen Norman, an attorney for Perlegos, declined comment on whether his client was putting together a bid for Atmel. Perlegos' meetings with potential investors, combined with his lawsuit, which seeks his re-instatement as CEO and brother Gust as executive vice president, is part of a two-pronged approach to retake control of the company he founded with $23,000 of his own funds in 1984, according to these same sources. Atmel's board fired the brothers, alleging they used corporate funds to pay for 400 airline tickets for their family, friends and themselves, according to court documents. In their lawsuit, the Perlegos' claim they were ousted for other reasons but don't explicitly state those reasons. They claim they - and others - were victims of an airfare booking scheme carried out by a former employee, according to the lawsuit. In recent weeks, private equity players have been holding discussions with company management and board members, according to the sources. Potential bidders for Atmel are waiting for the Delaware court to issue its ruling, the sources say. The chipmaker's new management team is led by Steve Laub, a former partner at Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, will A phone call to Atmel was not immediately returned for comment. The advantage to buying Atmel is the opportunity to cut costs, industry watchers note. One way is to sell off the company's factories and outsource its chip manufacturing to a third-party. Atmel has sold two factories in France in the past 10 months and still owns 6 facilities stretching from Germany to the Philippines. One of those sites is an idle, 650,000 square foot factory in the Dallas, Tex.-area; the property is on the market. Other costs could be cut by jettisoning business lines where competition is too tough. Atmel makes memory chips, logic chips, radio frequency chips and microcontrollers. The company's microcontroller division is seen as its most promising venture, selling to a range of markets. Its microcontrollers are used in consumer, automotive, industrial, and aerospace products.

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To: Ian@SI who wrote (13547)	10/11/2006 12:56:36 PM
From: JakeStraw	of 13565

>>One of those sites is an idle, 650,000 square foot factory in the Dallas, Tex.-area; the property is on the market. Damn, business must be really booming! :^)

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To: Ian@SI who wrote (13547)	10/30/2006 4:33:35 PM
From: sixty2nds	of 13565

16:01 ATML Atmel says actual measurement dates for certain stock options differed from the recorded measurement dates for such stock options (5.52 -0.10) Co provided additional information regarding the status of the ongoing independent investigation of the co's stock option grant practices. Based on the Audit Committee's preliminary determination, the co expects that the difference in these measurement dates will result in material non-cash, stock-based compensation expenses. Any such charges would have the effect of decreasing net income or increasing net loss and increasing accumulated deficit as reported in the co's historical financial statements. The co expects to reflect the impact of the adjustments to those prior periods as an adjustment to the opening balances as of January 1, 2003 in the financial statements for the restatement period. Because the Audit Committee's investigation is ongoing, it has not identified all stock options for which the accounting measurement dates may have been incorrectly determined. As a result, the co has not determined the final aggregate amount of additional stock-based compensation expenses that may need to be recorded or the amount of such expenses that may need to be recorded in any specific prior period or in any future period. Further, there can be no assurance that no other matters will come to the attention of the Audit Committee during the course of its investigation that will require additional adjustments to the co's financial statements.

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