As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here's a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q4. Today we are looking at the analog semiconductors stocks, starting with Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR).
Demand for analog chips is generally linked to the overall level of economic growth, as analog chips serve as the building blocks of most electronic goods and equipment. The biggest secular growth drivers currently are the adoption of electric vehicles, 5G networks and Internet of Things connectivity, and demand for chips that reduce power consumption. Unlike digital chip designers, analog chip makers tend to produce the majority of their own chips, as analog chip production does not require expensive leading edge nodes. Less dependent on major secular growth drivers, analog product cycles are much longer, often 5-7 years.
The 9 analog semiconductors stocks we track reported a strong Q4; on average, revenues beat analyst consensus estimates by 2.68%, while on average next quarter revenue guidance was 4.03% above consensus. There has been a stampede out of high valuation technology stocks, but analog semiconductors stocks held their ground better than others, with share price down 8.54% since earnings, on average.
Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR)
Founded in 1997 by its longtime CEO Michael Hsing, Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ: MPWR) is an analog and mixed signal chipmaker that specializes in power management chips meant to minimize total energy consumption.
Monolithic Power Systems reported revenues of $336.5 million, up 44.3% year on year, beating analyst expectations by 4.57%. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with a beat on the bottom line and a very optimistic guidance for the next quarter.
“MPS’s strong financial performance in 2021 was largely due to a 40 percent increase in fab and assembly capacity, which supported our high-value, greenfield-product, revenue ramp. Looking ahead, MPS is on track to expand capacity in 2022 well beyond $2 billion, allowing the company to successfully ramp new product revenue and achieve strategic market share gains in 2023, 2024 and beyond,” said Michael Hsing, CEO and founder of MPS.
The stock is up 1.08% since the results and currently trades at $411.43.
Best Q4: ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ:ON)
Spun out of Motorola in 1999, and built through a series of acquisitions, ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ON) is a global provider of analog chips with specialization in autos, industrial applications, and power management in cloud data centers.
ON Semiconductor reported revenues of $1.84 billion, up 27.6% year on year, beating analyst expectations by 3.08%. It was an impressive quarter for the company, with a significant improvement in gross margin and a beat on the bottom line.
The stock is down 7.25% since the results and currently trades at $53.28.
Is now the time to buy ON Semiconductor? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free.
Weakest Q4: Sensata Technologies (NYSE:ST)
Originally a temperature sensor control maker and part of Texas Instruments for 60 years, before eventually being spun out, Sensata Technology Holdings (NYSE: ST) is a leading supplier of analog sensors used in industrial and transportation applications, best known for its dominant position in the tire pressure monitoring systems in cars.
Sensata Technologies reported revenues of $934.5 million, up 3.1% year on year, beating analyst expectations by 1.73%. It was a weaker quarter for the company, with an underwhelming revenue guidance for the next quarter and a slow revenue growth.
The stock is down 13.9% since the results and currently trades at $49.36.
Read our full analysis of Sensata Technologies's results here.
Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI)
Founded by two MIT graduates, Ray Stata and Matthew Lorber in 1965, Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) is one of the largest providers of high performance analog integrated circuits used mainly in industrial end markets, along with communications, autos, and consumer devices.
Analog Devices reported revenues of $2.68 billion, up 72.2% year on year, beating analyst expectations by 2.87%. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with a significant improvement in inventory levels.
Analog Devices achieved the fastest revenue growth among the peers. The stock is down 2.49% since the results and currently trades at $157.97.
Read our full, actionable report on Analog Devices here, it's free.
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN)
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas since the 1950s, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) is the world’s largest producer of analog semiconductors.
Texas Instruments reported revenues of $4.83 billion, up 18.5% year on year, beating analyst expectations by 9.05%. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analyst estimates.
Texas Instruments delivered the strongest analyst estimates beat among the peers. The stock is up 1.75% since the results and currently trades at $177.23.
Read our full, actionable report on Texas Instruments here, it's free.
The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned