1,356 Shares in Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. $MPWR Bought by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• China Universal Asset Management opened a new position in Monolithic Power Systems, acquiring 1,356 shares in Q4 valued at about $1.23 million, amid heavy institutional ownership (93.46%).
• Monolithic Power beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $4.79 versus $4.74 and revenue of $751.2M (up 20.8% year‑over‑year); the stock trades near its one‑year high and the company has a market cap of roughly $80.2 billion.
• Insiders have been sizable net sellers recently—137,683 shares (~$158.1M) sold in the last 90 days—while the company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.00 (annualized $8.00, yield ~0.5%).

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,356 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $1,231,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Monolithic Power Systems by 46.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 635 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Monolithic Power Systems by 3.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,325 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $3,088,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Monolithic Power Systems by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,383 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $6,863,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in Monolithic Power Systems by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,789 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $26,175,000 after purchasing an additional 9,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new stake in Monolithic Power Systems during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $347,000. 93.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MPWR shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Monolithic Power Systems from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Monolithic Power Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Monolithic Power Systems from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Monolithic Power Systems in a report on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Monolithic Power Systems from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,260.08.

Monolithic Power Systems Stock Performance

Monolithic Power Systems stock opened at $1,632.06 on Friday. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $562.38 and a one year high of $1,661.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,198.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,069.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 128.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.48.

Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The semiconductor company reported $4.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.74 by $0.05. Monolithic Power Systems had a net margin of 22.07% and a return on equity of 18.33%. The firm had revenue of $751.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $741.69 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.09 EPS. Monolithic Power Systems's quarterly revenue was up 20.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. will post 17.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Monolithic Power Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $2.00 per share. This represents a $8.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Monolithic Power Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.56. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Monolithic Power Systems's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monolithic Power Systems

In related news, EVP Deming Xiao sold 22,875 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,171.16, for a total value of $26,790,285.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 235,932 shares in the company, valued at $276,314,121.12. This trade represents a 8.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maurice Sciammas sold 22,875 shares of Monolithic Power Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.16, for a total value of $26,790,285.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 178,625 shares in the company, valued at $209,198,455. The trade was a 11.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,683 shares of company stock valued at $158,138,447. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monolithic Power Systems Company Profile

Monolithic Power Systems NASDAQ: MPWR is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and supplies high-performance power management solutions for a broad range of electronic systems. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, the company focuses on analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits that convert, regulate and monitor electrical power with an emphasis on efficiency, integration and power density.

MPS's product portfolio includes DC‑DC switching regulators, power modules, power management ICs (PMICs), LED drivers, battery-management ICs, motor drivers, and AC‑DC power solutions.

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