Candriam S.C.A. Sells 25,503 Shares of Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. $MPWR

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Monolithic Power Systems by 27% in the first quarter, selling 25,503 shares and ending with 68,944 shares valued at about $75.4 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on MPWR, with analysts issuing multiple price-target increases and the stock carrying a consensus Moderate Buy rating and average target of $1,599.17.
• Insiders have also been selling shares, including EVP Saria Tseng and Director Eugen J. Elmiger, while the company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results and declared a $2.00-per-share dividend.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR - Free Report) by 27.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,944 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 25,503 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.14% of Monolithic Power Systems worth $75,380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Monolithic Power Systems during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Monolithic Power Systems by 171.4% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Monolithic Power Systems by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 40 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Greenline Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Monolithic Power Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Monolithic Power Systems in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. 93.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPWR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Monolithic Power Systems from $1,300.00 to $1,750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Monolithic Power Systems from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Monolithic Power Systems from $1,650.00 to $1,860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Monolithic Power Systems from $1,550.00 to $1,850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Monolithic Power Systems from $1,000.00 to $1,575.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Monolithic Power Systems currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,599.17.

Insider Activity at Monolithic Power Systems

In related news, EVP Saria Tseng sold 7,565 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,700.00, for a total transaction of $12,860,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 144,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $245,170,600. This represents a 4.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eugen J. Elmiger sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,584.96, for a total value of $19,019,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,561,953.92. This represents a 68.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 69,370 shares of company stock worth $112,702,503 in the last 90 days. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Monolithic Power Systems Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of MPWR stock opened at $1,352.74 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $1,514.02 and its 200 day moving average is $1,272.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 97.53, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.71. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $686.87 and a 12 month high of $1,714.09.

Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $5.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.90 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $804.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.93 million. Monolithic Power Systems had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 19.58%. Monolithic Power Systems's revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.04 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. will post 20.13 EPS for the current year.

Monolithic Power Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $2.00 per share. This represents a $8.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Monolithic Power Systems's payout ratio is presently 57.68%.

Monolithic Power Systems 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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