Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Reduces Position in Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. $MPWR

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lowered its stake in shares of Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 257,644 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 14,885 shares during the period. Monolithic Power Systems comprises approximately 2.3% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Monolithic Power Systems were worth $233,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Monolithic Power Systems by 77,483.1% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 262,231 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $237,676,000 after purchasing an additional 261,893 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Monolithic Power Systems during the third quarter worth $197,260,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Monolithic Power Systems by 66.4% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 447,801 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $412,263,000 after buying an additional 178,622 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its position in Monolithic Power Systems by 36.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 529,124 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $386,991,000 after buying an additional 140,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Monolithic Power Systems by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,074,033 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,591,998,000 after buying an additional 134,087 shares during the last quarter. 93.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Monolithic Power Systems

In related news, EVP Deming Xiao sold 22,875 shares of Monolithic Power Systems stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 235,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $276,314,121.12. This trade represents a 8.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Theodore Blegen sold 21,725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.16, for a total value of $25,443,451.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 82,353 shares in the company, valued at $96,448,539.48. This represents a 20.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 97,580 shares of company stock valued at $113,337,222. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monolithic Power Systems Stock Down 4.8%

MPWR opened at $1,002.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $49.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.68, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.45. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $438.86 and a twelve month high of $1,256.22. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,119.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,012.05.

Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The semiconductor company reported $4.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.74 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $751.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $741.69 million. Monolithic Power Systems had a net margin of 22.07% and a return on equity of 18.33%. Monolithic Power Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 20.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Monolithic Power Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $2.00 dividend. This is an increase from Monolithic Power Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.56. This represents a $8.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Monolithic Power Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPWR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Monolithic Power Systems from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Monolithic Power Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Monolithic Power Systems from $1,250.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,300.00 price objective on shares of Monolithic Power Systems in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Monolithic Power Systems from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,218.42.

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.