March 13, 2009: At least one stock analyst believes that President Barack Obama’s $787 million economic stimulus plan is good news for FEI Co. (Nasdaq: FEIC), which develops scanning electron microscopes and other nanotech equipment, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP report, Credit Suisse analyst Satya Kumar said the stimulus will increase demand for FEI’s products and he raised his rating for FEI from “Outperform” to “Neutral.” Kumar sees increased spending on science and technology equipment resulting from research funding outlined in the stimulus.

Spending on nanotech products has averaged about $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion for the past three years, with FEI sales making up about 7 percent of that market, Kumar told the AP. The stimulus package has around $14.9 billion worth of funding for U.S. research institutes, which are FEI’s customers, and the company should be able to draw in about $54 million in additional sales in 2010, the AP reported.