May 7 - Microchip Technology said it expects first-quarter revenue to top Wall Street forecasts, pointing to stronger-than-anticipated demand for its semiconductor products used across industrial and automotive applications. The Chandler, Arizona-based chipmaker's shares rose more than 2% in after-hours trading following the guidance.
The company provided a revenue outlook for the first quarter in a range between $1.44 billion and $1.47 billion. That target sits above the LSEG consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Microchip also gave an adjusted earnings-per-share forecast of 67 cents to 71 cents, which compares with analyst expectations of 59 cents.
Management said the firm has benefited from a cyclical recovery in several key end-markets, notably industrial and automotive sectors, and from accelerating demand coming from artificial intelligence data centers. Leadership also pointed to robust activity in aerospace and defense markets, where heightened geopolitical tensions and larger government budgets have supported a steady revenue stream.
For the company’s most recent quarter, Microchip reported revenue of $1.31 billion, above analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. Adjusted earnings were 57 cents per share, versus expectations of 51 cents per share.
Chief Operating Officer Rich Simoncic commented on the company’s engagements with customers, saying: "We are seeing strong customer engagement and expanding design activity in data center and AI applications, driven by the breadth and performance of our high-speed connectivity and compute portfolio."
The company’s outlook comes in the wake of similar bullish guidance from a peer, Onsemi, which earlier this week also forecast quarterly revenue above expectations as the automotive market shows signs of recovery.
Separately, the release included promotional content related to chart analysis for Microchip's stock, describing a trading tool that claims to analyze charts and provide entry, stop-loss and profit-target guidance.
Market context
Microchip's guidance and recent results indicate an improving revenue environment for suppliers of chips to industrial, automotive, AI and defense customers. The company is positioning its high-speed connectivity and compute portfolio as a driver of design wins in data center applications.