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As the Q4 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the analog semiconductors industry, including Power Integrations (NASDAQ:POWI) and its peers.
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. 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 14 analog semiconductors stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.7% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 7,654% above.
In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.
Power Integrations (NASDAQ:POWI)
A leading supplier of parts for electronics such as home appliances, Power Integrations (NASDAQ:POWI) is a semiconductor designer and developer specializing in products used for high-voltage power conversion.
Power Integrations reported revenues of $105.3 million, up 17.6% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly and an increase in its inventory levels.
The stock is up 4.1% since reporting and currently trades at $63.25.
Read our full report on Power Integrations here, it’s free.
Best Q4: Himax (NASDAQ:HIMX)
Taiwan-based Himax Technologies (NASDAQ:HIMX) is a leading manufacturer of display driver chips and timing controllers used in TVs, laptops, and mobile phones.
Himax reported revenues of $237.2 million, up 4.2% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.3%. The business had an incredible quarter with a significant improvement in its inventory levels and a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 7.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $9.79.
Is now the time to buy Himax? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Slowest Q4: Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE:VSH)
Named after the founder's ancestral village in present-day Lithuania, Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE:VSH) manufactures simple chips and electronic components that are building blocks of virtually all types of electronic devices.