Only by the bubbly standards of the semiconductor sector could Analog Devices’ (ADI) performance since my late August piece be thought of as disappointing, as the shares have risen almost 40% - lagging the SOX index by around 10 points and likewise lagging other high-quality analog peers like Microchip (MCHP) and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), with the latter almost certainly getting a boost from its greater leverage to an auto sector recovery.
Pretty much everything is going Analog’s way right now. There are supply constraints, but Analog seems better-placed than average to handle them, and while the communications end-market has remained volatile, 5G deployments are a “when, not if” driver. Meanwhile, auto and industrial demand is recovering, with a host of factors in place to drive content growth for several years.
There will likely be a rollover in the cycle at some point as lead times shrink (though maybe not until late in 2021 or early 2022), but that will be a pause in what I see as a strong “mega-cycle” of chip growth across multiple end-markets. On top of that, the Maxim (MXIM) deal should close this summer, giving the company some cost and revenue synergy opportunities.
Of course, valuation remains problematic. It’s not unusual for multiples to stretch in upcycles, and that’s what’s happening now. I won’t dismiss the possibility of a stronger-for-longer cycle, but I don’t think my 6% organic long-term core revenue growth rate, 45%+ adjusted operating margin, or 40% long-term adjusted FCF margin assumptions are particularly conservative, and the long-term returns just don’t look that exciting now.
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Analog Devices Ready To Leverage A Long-Term Inflection In Chip Demand
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