MaxLinear (NASDAQ:MXL) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

MaxLinear (NASDAQ:MXL) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The semiconductor company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $136.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.82 million. MaxLinear had a negative return on equity of 6.84% and a negative net margin of 29.23%.MaxLinear’s revenue was up 48.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.09) earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from MaxLinear’s conference call:

• MaxLinear reported a strong 2025 with 30% revenue growth YoY, returned to profitability and positive operating cash flow, exited Q4 with about $101.4M in cash and repurchased ~$20M of stock.
• The infrastructure business is scaling rapidly (Q4 infrastructure revenue ~ $47M); management expects the Keystone PAM4 DSP to generate roughly $100–$130M in 2026 and says Rushmore DSP production revenue will begin ramping at the end of 2026.
• Storage accelerator momentum is accelerating—Panther 5 is in customer sampling (including AMD) and the company expects accelerator revenue to at least double in 2026 with potential for further growth in 2027.
• Broadband/cable faces near-term headwinds—management expects broadband revenue to be down in 2026 with a seasonally soft first half and cable weakness until a multi‑year DOCSIS 4 upgrade cycle begins late in 2026.

MaxLinear Stock Performance

Shares of MXL traded down $1.92 on Friday, reaching $17.35. 3,802,611 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,072,821. MaxLinear has a 12 month low of $8.35 and a 12 month high of $20.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $17.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.98 and a beta of 1.77.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MaxLinear

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MaxLinear in the third quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in MaxLinear by 279.8% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 769,349 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,371,000 after purchasing an additional 566,800 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in MaxLinear by 1,293.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,187 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,030 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MaxLinear by 9.9% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 40,017 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $643,000 after buying an additional 3,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of MaxLinear in the third quarter valued at approximately $172,000. 90.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of MaxLinear from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of MaxLinear in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $23.00 price target on MaxLinear in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Williams Trading set a $25.00 price target on MaxLinear in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on MaxLinear from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.57.

MaxLinear announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, November 24th that permits the company to buyback $75.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Trending Headlines about MaxLinear

Here are the key news stories impacting MaxLinear this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — revenue of $136.4M (up ~48% YoY) and EPS of $0.19, topping estimates and showing recovery vs. last year’s loss. MaxLinear Q4 Results Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management set Q1 revenue guidance of $130M–$140M, slightly above consensus, and highlighted improving data‑center momentum that supports 2026 outlook. Q1 Guidance (Press Release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target from $18 to $20 but left an “equal weight” rating — a modest positive for valuation but not a buy signal. Wells Fargo Price Target Note
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentary warned of “lumpy” quarter‑to‑quarter performance — investors may expect volatility in growth and margins even as revenue expands. MaxLinear Q4: Still A Lot Of Positives, But Lumpy Performance To Be Expected
• Negative Sentiment: Needham/TipRanks highlighted an ongoing arbitration with SIMO as a material overhang — unresolved legal/contract risk can suppress multiple expansion and investor appetite. Needham: SIMO Arbitration Overhang
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability metrics remain weak (negative net margin and ROE), which raises concern about sustainable earnings power even with top‑line growth. Q4 Results and Metrics (MarketBeat)

About MaxLinear

MaxLinear, Inc is a provider of radio-frequency (RF), analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications, data center connectivity, and video infrastructure applications. The company’s product portfolio includes high-performance RF front-end modules, broadband power amplifiers, optical and Ethernet transceivers, and network processors designed to support demanding signal processing requirements.

MaxLinear’s semiconductor solutions are used by cable and satellite television operators, fiber-to-the-home service providers, network equipment manufacturers, and data center operators.