Fabless chip and software maker Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) reported Q1 FY2022 results beating Wall St's expectations, with revenue up 15.7% year on year to $7.7 billion. Guidance for next quarter's revenue was $7.9 billion at the midpoint, 6.51% above the average of analyst estimates. Broadcom made a GAAP profit of $2.47 billion, improving on its profit of $1.37 billion, in the same quarter last year.
Is now the time to buy Broadcom? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.
Broadcom (AVGO) Q1 FY2022 Highlights:
- Revenue: $7.7 billion vs analyst estimates of $7.6 billion (1.3% beat)
- EPS (GAAP): $5.59
- Revenue guidance for Q2 2022 is $7.9 billion at the midpoint, above analyst estimates of $7.41 billion
- Free cash flow of $3.38 billion, roughly flat from previous quarter
- Inventory Days Outstanding: 72, up from 61 previous quarter
- Gross Margin (GAAP): 75%, up from 72.7% same quarter last year
"Broadcom's record first quarter results were driven by strong enterprise demand, and continued investments in next generation technology by hyperscale and service providers," said Hock Tan, President and CEO of
Originally the semiconductor division of Hewlett Packard, Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) is a semiconductor conglomerate that spans wireless, networking, data storage, and industrial end markets along with an infrastructure software business focused on mainframes and cybersecurity.
The biggest demand drivers for processors (CPUs) and graphics chips at the moment are secular trends related to 5G and Internet of Things, autonomous driving, and high performance computing in the data center space, specifically around AI and machine learning. Like all semiconductor companies, digital chip makers exhibit a degree of cyclicality, driven by supply and demand imbalances and exposure to PC and Smartphone product cycles.
Sales Growth
Broadcom's revenue growth over the last three years has been unremarkable, averaging 10.2% annually. But as you can see below, last year has been stronger for the company, growing from quarterly revenue of $6.65 billion to $7.7 billion. Semiconductors are a cyclical industry and long-term investors should be prepared for periods of high growth, followed by periods of revenue contractions (which can sometimes offer opportune times to buy).
This was an OK quarter for Broadcom with revenues growing 15.7%, ahead of analyst estimates by 1.3%.
Broadcom believes the growth is set to accelerate, and is guiding for revenue to grow 19.5% YoY next quarter, and Wall St analysts are estimating growth 9.65% over the next twelve months.
There are others doing even better than Broadcom. Founded by ex-Google engineers, a small company making software for banks has been growing revenue 90% year on year and is already up more than 150% since the IPO last December. You can find it on our platform for free.
Product Demand & Outstanding Inventory
Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) are an important metric for chipmakers, as it reflects the capital intensity of the business and the cyclical nature of semiconductor supply and demand. In a tight supply environment, inventories tend to be stable, allowing chipmakers to exert pricing power. Steadily increasing DIO can be a warning sign that demand is weak, and if inventories continue to rise the company may have to downsize production.
This quarter, Broadcom’s inventory days came in at 72, 11 days above the five year average, suggesting that that inventory has grown to higher levels than what we used to see in the past.
Key Takeaways from Broadcom's Q1 Results
Sporting a market capitalization of $239 billion, more than $10.2 billion in cash and with positive free cash flow over the last twelve months, we're confident that Broadcom has the resources it needs to pursue a high growth business strategy.
We were impressed by the very optimistic revenue guidance Broadcom provided for the next quarter. And we were also glad to see the improvement in gross margin. On the other hand, it was less good to see the inventory levels increase. Zooming out, we think this was still a decent, albeit mixed, quarter, showing the company is staying on target. The company is up 2.96% on the results and currently trades at $596 per share.
Should you invest in Broadcom right now? It is important that you take into account its valuation and business qualities, as well as what happened in the latest quarter. We look at that in our actionable report which you can read here, it's free.
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The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.