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Nikon
(TSE: 7731)
Japan
Nikon has established itself as a household name in digital cameras and precision lenses. Its high-end D2 cameras with interchangeable lenses are a must-have among pros, and a key to Nikon's healthy margins. But these days, the company's biggest hope for growth is in steppers, machines that print circuitry on silicon wafers used to make chips and liquid-crystal displays. With strong global demand for flat-panel TVs and chips, Nikon has been cashing in. For the latest fiscal year ended Mar. 31, the company's net income rose 20%, to $252 million, on a 14% jump in sales, to $6.39 billion. This year, it expects net income to rise another 28%. But it has bigger plans for the future. Through March, 2009, the world's fifth-biggest camera maker aims to boost revenues by 22%, shrink its debt-to-equity ratio from 85% to less than 30%, and insulate itself from chip industry swings like those that caused hefty losses in 2002 and 2003. Demand for Nikon's steppers used in the production of LCDs is expected to climb 22% this year, and it's aggressively forging into new sectors such as bioscience.
Company Info |
|
| 2005 Rank | 92 |
| Sales* ($ Millions) | 6,516.7 |
| Sales Growth (over prev. year) |
14 % |
| Profits* ($ Millions) | 258.0 |
| Return on Equity | 11.9 % |
| Total Return on Sales (12-mo.) | 79.5 |
| Share Price As of 5/31/06 | 19.26 |
| CURRENT MARKET INFO | TSE: 7731 |
| No. of Employees | |
| Industry | Semiconductors |
| COMPANY WEB SITE > | |
*Trailing 12 months
Stock price data as of 5/31/06
DATA: Standard & Poor's Compustat
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Company Snapshot
Nikon engages in three principal businesses, precision equipment, imaging products, and instruments, as well as other businesses. The precision equipment products comprise IC steppers and LCD steppers. The imaging products consist of silver halide cameras, digital cameras, and interchangeable lenses. The instruments offered by the company include microscopes, measuring instruments, and semiconductor inspection equipment. The products constituting the other businesses category comprise sport optics products, eyewear, and surveying instruments.
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