Sifting through countless of stocks in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in MaxLinear, Inc. or Semtech Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation

MaxLinear, Inc. provides communications systems-on-chip solutions in the United States, Asia, Europe, and internationally. Its products integrate various portions of a high-speed communication system, including radio frequency, high-performance analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, security engines, data compression and networking layers, and power management. Its products are used in various electronic devices, such as radio transceivers and modems for 4G/5G base-station and backhaul infrastructure; optical transceivers; wi-fi and wireline routers for home networking; broadband modems compliant with data over cable service interface specifications, passive optical fiber standards, and digital subscriber line, as well as power management and interface products. It serves electronics distributors, module makers, original equipment manufacturers, and original design manufacturers through a direct sales force, third-party sales representatives, and a network of distributors. The company has a strategic collaboration with Edgecore Networks Corporation for the development network infrastructure for enterprise and SMB applications. MaxLinear, Inc. has strategic partnership with GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc. to develop 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) gateways and converged gateways for consumer and enterprise applications. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.

Semtech Corporation provides semiconductor, Internet of Things systems, and cloud connectivity service solutions in the Asia- Pacific, North America, and Europe. The company operates in three segments: Signal Integrity, Analog Mixed Signal and Wireless, and IoT Systems and Connectivity. It provides signal integrity products, including a portfolio of optical and copper data communications and video transport products used in various infrastructure, and industrial applications; a portfolio of integrated circuits for data centers, enterprise networks, passive optical networks, wireless base station optical transceivers, and interface applications; and video products for broadcast applications, as well as video-over-IP technology for professional audio video applications. The company also offers analog mixed signal and wireless products; protection devices, such as filter and termination devices which protect electronic systems from voltage spikes; and designs, develops, manufactures, and markets radio frequency products used in industrial, medical, and communications applications, as well as specialized sensing products. In addition, it provides switching voltage regulators, combination switching and linear regulators, smart regulators, isolated switches, and wireless charging related products. Further, the company offers a portfolio of IoT systems and connectivity solutions, such as modules, gateways, routers, and connected services, including wireless connectivity and cloud-based services for industrial, medical, and communications applications. It serves original equipment manufacturers, solution providers, commercial applications, infrastructure, high-end consumer, and industrial end markets. The company sells its products through direct sales personnel, independent sales representative firms, and independent distributors. Semtech Corporation was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in Camarillo, California.

Latest Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and MaxLinear, Inc., Semtech Corporation Stock News

As of September 4, 2026, MaxLinear, Inc. had a $5.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment median of $4.8 million. MaxLinear, Inc.’s stock is up 260% in 2026, up 1.6% in the previous five trading days and up 303.47% in the past year.

Currently, MaxLinear, Inc. does not have a price-earnings ratio. MaxLinear, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $568.9 million with a -18.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 55.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.750 per share for the current fiscal year. MaxLinear, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 4, 2026, Semtech Corporation had a $13.8 billion market cap, putting it in the 82nd percentile of all stocks. Semtech Corporation’s stock is up 100.7% in 2026, up 12.7% in the previous five trading days and up 146.89% in the past year.

Currently, Semtech Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 91.0. Semtech Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a 13.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 32.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.474 per share for the current fiscal year. Semtech Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
MaxLinear, Inc.	MXL	F
Semtech Corporation	SMTC	F

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

MaxLinear, Inc. has a Value Score of 6, which is Ultra Expensive. Semtech Corporation has a Value Score of 2, which is Ultra Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither MaxLinear, Inc. or Semtech Corporation has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if MaxLinear, Inc. or Semtech Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
MaxLinear, Inc.	MXL	B
Semtech Corporation	SMTC	B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

MaxLinear, Inc. has a Quality Score of 69, which is Strong. Semtech Corporation has a Quality Score of 78, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
MaxLinear, Inc.	MXL	B
Semtech Corporation	SMTC	A

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

MaxLinear, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 68, which is Positive. Semtech Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 95, which is Very Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Semtech Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Semtech Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than MaxLinear, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Semtech Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation Grades

In addition to Quality, Value and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, MaxLinear, Inc. or Semtech Corporation Stock?

Overall, MaxLinear, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 6, Estimate Revisions Score of 68 and Quality Score of 69.

Semtech Corporation stock has a Value Score of 2, Estimate Revisions Score of 95 and Quality Score of 78.

Comparing MaxLinear, Inc. and Semtech Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.