ATMI 2nd-quarter profit rises on lower costs

DANBURY, Conn. - ATMI Inc., which provides specialty materials to semiconductor makers, said Wednesday its second-quarter profit rose 4.8 percent as lower costs offset a decline in revenue. ATMI earned $9.7 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with $9.3 million, or 26 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2007. Revenue fell 3.1 percent to $89.5 million from $92.4 million in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a profit of 32 cents per share on $92.3 million in sales. The company's cost of revenue dropped 8.6 percent to $43.2 million, while its total operating expenses fell nearly 2 percent to $32.9 million. Last week, ATMI said that its second-quarter revenue would be below expectations as a result of shipment delays for some SDS products, lower sales into the memory sector and... [read full story]