Analog chipmaker Microchip Technology (NASDAQ:MCHP) met Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q3 CY2024, but sales fell 48.4% year on year to $1.16 billion. On the other hand, next quarter’s revenue guidance of $1.06 billion was less impressive, coming in 10% below analysts’ estimates. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.46 per share was 6% above analysts’ consensus estimates.

Is now the time to buy Microchip Technology? Find out by accessing our full research report, it’s free.

"Our September quarter results were consistent with our guidance, as we continued to navigate through an inventory correction that’s occurring in the midst of macro weakness for many manufacturing businesses, accentuated by heightened weakness in our European business which is concentrated with Industrial and Automotive customers," said Ganesh Moorthy, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Company Overview

Spun out from General Instrument in 1987, Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontrollers and integrated circuits used mainly in the automotive world, especially in electric vehicles and their charging devices.

Analog Semiconductors

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.

Sales Growth

Examining a company’s long-term performance can provide clues about its business quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but the best consistently grow over the long haul. Microchip Technology struggled to generate demand over the last five years as its sales were flat. This is a tough starting point for our analysis. Semiconductors are a cyclical industry, and long-term investors should be prepared for periods of high growth followed by periods of revenue contractions.

We at StockStory place the most emphasis on long-term growth, but within semiconductors, a half-decade historical view may miss new demand cycles or industry trends like AI. Microchip Technology’s recent history shows its demand has stayed suppressed as its revenue has declined by 15.2% annually over the last two years.

This quarter, Microchip Technology reported a rather uninspiring 48.4% year-on-year revenue decline to $1.16 billion of revenue, in line with Wall Street’s estimates. Management is currently guiding for a 40% year-on-year decline next quarter.

Looking further ahead, sell-side analysts expect revenue to decline 2.8% over the next 12 months. Although this projection is better than its two-year trend it's tough to feel optimistic about a company facing demand difficulties.

Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we’ve identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefitting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link.

Product Demand & Outstanding Inventory

Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) is an important metric for chipmakers, as it reflects a business’ capital intensity 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, Microchip Technology’s DIO came in at 246, which is 97 days above its five-year average, suggesting that the company’s inventory has grown to higher levels than we’ve seen in the past.

Key Takeaways from Microchip Technology’s Q3 Results

We enjoyed seeing Microchip Technology exceed analysts’ EPS expectations this quarter. We were also happy its revenue narrowly outperformed Wall Street’s estimates. On the other hand, its revenue guidance for next quarter missed analysts’ expectations and its operating margin shrunk. Overall, this was a weaker quarter. The stock traded down 3.1% to $72.87 immediately after reporting.

Microchip Technology underperformed this quarter, but does that create an opportunity to invest right now? We think that the latest quarter is only one piece of the longer-term business quality puzzle. Quality, when combined with valuation, can help determine if the stock is a buy. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it’s free.