The ratings on San Jose, Calif.-based Cypress Semiconductor Corp. reflect aggressive marketplace conditions and weak profitability. Cypress had about $630 million in debt and capitalized operating leases outstanding at Sept. 30, 2006. The company manufactures specialty memory, timing, and logic semiconductors for the networking, wireless, and computing markets. Cypress has strengthened its product portfolio through internal development and acquisitions, and is shifting its focus toward proprietary devices such as CMOS image sensors, now about 25% of sales, while de-emphasizing commodity products. Still, Cypress' overall prices tend to decline at a challenging rate--about 30% year over year, while demand has been volatile. Revenues in the September quarter were $290 million, up 9% sequentially and 28% year-over-year. The company's SunPower subsidiary continues
