VIA optronics ($VIAO) made its debut on the NYSE Friday, with an initial public offering priced on the low end of expectations to raise $93 million, but the display technology company still sees a bright future ahead.
"We are right now at a breaking point. We are an emerging market, and we cannot grow that much as we want organically so we have to put some investment in," said Jurgen Eichner, Via optronics CEO. "This is basically what we need the proceeds for."
The initial public offering was priced at $15, but opened at $12. By mid-afternoon shares were trading around $10.
VIA builds sunlight-readable displays with wide temperature ranges and screens with touch and gesture features. Customers of the German-based manufacturer include household names like Dell, HP, Ferrari, and BMW.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the need for screen tech is still widespread and growing, according to the CEO.
"Our factory was actually shut down in China for one week," Eichner said, regarding first quarter impacts from the coronavirus pandemic that didn't derail the company's targets for the year.
"We are right now fully running again, and on top of that, actually, we have some advantages of that because it boosted the home office, home learning markets," he added.
The manufacturer also apparently had few issues with its supply chain, escaping adverse impacts of global supply networks disrupted by COVID-19 even with production facilities in its native Germany, China, and Japan.
"Our supply chain has not been affected, to be honest. One of the reasons is that we do most of the products actually in-house, so we buy only raw materials and, of course, some display glass from the display manufacturer," said Eichner. "So we've been very lucky."
Co-founder and executive chairman of the board at Vaxxinity Lou Reese shares how the company is working to bring vaccines for chronic illnesses like heart disease and Parkinson’s to market with an eye for accessibility.
Mario Veneroso, Kingsview Asset Management Partner, weighs in on the latest economic data and whether the market is pricing in too many rate cuts for the coming year.
Apple has rolled out an update to its operating system this week with a feature called Stolen Device Protection. It makes it a lot harder for phone thieves to access key functions and settings, and users are being urged to turn it on immediately.
The U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly brisk 3.3% annual pace from October through December as Americans showed a continued willingness to spend freely despite high interest rates and frustrating price levels.
Alan Becker, CEO and Investment Adviser Representative at Retirement Solutions Group and RSG Investments, shares his thoughts on the latest GDP data plus why he's not sold cryptocurrency as a long-term asset.
The Biden administration wants to ban another type of bank “junk fee," targeting fees that are typically charged by banks when a transaction is declined in real time.
Al Root, senior writer at Barron’s, breaks down everything expected from Tesla’s earnings report, from Elon Musk’s demands from the board to why the market has been looking for affordable EV options.