Altera Corporation is a US global semiconductor company. It manufactures complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), SoCs with embedded processor systems, embedded processors, and other high-value programmable solutions.
It is based in San Jose, California.
The company, which now has around 3,091 employees in more than 20 countries, was founded in 1983.
Altera went public in 1988 and currently trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the stock ticker symbol ‘ALTR’.
Its flagship products include: the Stratix, Arria and Cyclone series FPGAs; the Quartus II design software; the MAX series CPLDs; and the HardCopy series ASICs.
The company has over 12,600 customers within the Telecom and Wireless, Industrial Automation, Military and Automotive, Networking, Computer and Storage, and other vertical markets (vertical markets refers to specialized or niche markets).
Altera has strong partnerships with industry-leading technology suppliers, including foundry partners Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
Its main competitors are Xilinx – FPGA founder and market-share leader – and Lattice Semiconductor.
According to Altera, its main focus is on “the development and deployment of leading-edge programmable technology that provides maximum value to customers.”
Overview
- Chairman, President, and CEO: John P. Daane
- Industry: Integrated Circuits
- Type: Public company
- Listed on NASDAQ
- NYSE stock symbol: ALTR
- S&P 500 Component
- Formed: 1983
- Net sales: $1.932 billion USD (2014)
- Net income: $472.658 million USD (2014)
- Earnings per share: $1.53 USD (2014)
- Company head office: 101 Innovation Drive, San Jose, California 95134, USA
- Employees: 3,091 (2014)
- Website: http://www.altera.com/
- Investor relations number: 408-544-7000
- Investor relations email: [email protected]
- 10 R&D facilities
Altera Corporation Financial Results, Years Ended December 31
| Operating data (in $ thousands) | 2014 | 2013 |
| Net sales | $1,932,089 | $1,732,572 |
| Cost of sales | $648,451 | $546,736 |
| Gross margin | $1,283,638 | $1,185,836 |
| Research and development expense | $418,140 | $385,185 |
| Selling, general, and administrative expense | $312,249 | $320,068 |
| Income before income taxes | $524,027 | $470,828 |
| Income tax expense | $51,369 | $30,763 |
| Net income | $472,658 | $440,065 |
| Comprehensive income | $510,265 | $406,511 |
| Balance sheet data (in $ thousands) | ||
| Total assets | $5,674,226 | $5,995,648 |
| Total liabilities | $2,388,400 | $2,483,581 |
| Total stockholders’ equity | $3,285,826 | $3,512,067 |
| Common share data (in $) | ||
| Basic earnings per share | $1.53 | $1.37 |
| Diluted earnings per share | $1.52 | $1.36 |
| Cash flow data (in $ thousands) | ||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $666,215 | $590,208 |
| Net cash used for investing activities | $(271,393) | $(1,236,512) |
| Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities | $(837,613) | $638,835 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year | $2,869,158 | $2,876,627 |
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of year | $2,426,367 | $2,869,158 |
Source: “Altera Corporation Form 10-K 2014”