Earnings, revenue up for Kalispell’s Semitool

Kalispell-based Semitool Monday reported a strong increase in earnings and revenue for its 2005 fiscal year. The company also said a strong flow of orders for its machines, which are used to make semiconductors, bodes well for the company.

For the year that ended Sept. 30, Semitool reported net income of $10.1 million, or 35 cents per share, up 37 percent from the $7.4 million, or 25 cents per share, reported in fiscal 2004. Semitool’s 2005 revenue was $190.4 million, up from $139.6 million in fiscal 2004.

Semitool reported strong demand for its machines in the fourth quarter. The bookings in the period totaled $65 million, 53 percent higher than a year earlier and up 60 percent from the third quarter.

"We are also very encouraged by the continued success we have had at more deeply penetrating the Asian market," said Larry Murphy, Semitool’s president and chief operating officer, noting yearly sales in Asia were 38 percent higher than in 2004.

By Tribune Staff

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051108/BUSINESS/511080336/1046