By Investing.com– Bernstein initiated coverage of Japanese semiconductor stocks with a positive view on the sector, expecting it to benefit from global growth in chip demand and the artificial intelligence industry.
The brokerage said that after a sharp correction from their July peak, semiconductor valuations were now much more attractive, especially in the semiconductor production equipment (SPE) sector.
Bernstein said Japan’s semiconductor production equipment (SPE) sector was strong, especially amid a rush by major world governments to build local production capacity.
Top picks from this sector include Disco (OTC:DSCSY) Corp (TYO:6146), Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) and Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TYO:8035)- all three of which Bernstein rated as Outperform.
Bernstein rated Screen Holdings (TYO:7735) and Kokusai Electric Corp (TYO:6525) as Market Perform, and rated Lasertec Corp (TYO:6920) as Underperform.
The brokerage was most bullish on Japanese SPEs, stating that growth in the sector was likely to pick up faster than the global average on AI demand.
On Japan’s chipmaking materials and the analog sector, Berenstein maintained a neutral stance, with materials set to face some headwinds from competition and overcapacity. The brokerage rated Hoya Cor (TYO:7741) as Outperform, SUMCO Corp. (TYO:3436) as Market Perform and Ibiden Co Ltd (TYO:4062) as Underperform in the materials sector.
In the Analog sector, Bernstein forecast near-term weakness from high inventories, but saw strong long-term growth in the sector, especially from the AI industry.
The brokerage rated Renesas Electronics Corp (TYO:6723) as Outperform, citing its exposure to AI servers.