Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. $MPWR Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources trimmed its MPWR stake slightly in the fourth quarter, selling 2,644 shares and ending with about 1.05 million shares valued at roughly $951.1 million. Institutional investors still own the vast majority of the company, at 93.46%.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including EVP Deming Xiao’s 30,000-share sale worth about $49.6 million and Director Jeff Zhou’s smaller sale. In total, insiders sold 113,073 shares in the last quarter.
• Monolithic Power Systems reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates with $5.10 EPS and $804.2 million in revenue, up 26.1% year over year. Analysts remain mostly bullish, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,599.17.

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its position in shares of Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,049,409 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 2,644 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 2.19% of Monolithic Power Systems worth $951,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MPWR. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Monolithic Power Systems in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Monolithic Power Systems by 171.4% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Monolithic Power Systems by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 40 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Monolithic Power Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Monolithic Power Systems by 43.9% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 59 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.46% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Deming Xiao sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,654.55, for a total value of $49,636,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 205,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $340,769,463.45. This represents a 12.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeff Zhou sold 486 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,680.00, for a total transaction of $816,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,384,000. This trade represents a 11.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 113,073 shares of company stock worth $160,875,958. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MPWR. KeyCorp upped their price target on Monolithic Power Systems from $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Monolithic Power Systems in a report on Friday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Monolithic Power Systems from $1,300.00 to $1,750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer set a $1,700.00 price objective on Monolithic Power Systems in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target 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. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,599.17.

Monolithic Power Systems Stock Performance

MPWR stock opened at $1,481.05 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 106.78, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.69. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $670.00 and a one year high of $1,714.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,462.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,186.58.

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

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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