Thread regarding Applied Materials Inc. layoffs

Yet another round of layoffs may be in the offing at Applied Materials Inc, which has important activity in Israel. ''We see potential for restructuring announcement," at Applied Materials, says Barclays Capital analyst C.J. Muse in a new report. The company is due to publish its quarterly financials today. Muse adds, "We think involves headcount reductions as well as additional cost cutting efforts.'' He raised his target price for the share in the belief that the cutbacks will be made and that they will boost Applied Materials' productivity in the coming quarters. Applied Materials is traded at a market cap of $18B. Applied Materials has already undergone one restructuring in the past two years. The company last announced layoffs in 12/2008, which included 2k layoffs, including 200 employees in Israel, over the coming year. The company also fired employees in early 2008, which hit the Israeli operations hard. Applied Materials currently has 14,000 employees worldwide, including 1K in Israel.