Embedded technology demand creatives automotive industry boost

Higher-than-expected quarterly revenue has been announced by chipmaker Texas Instruments, helped by strong demand for its analog and embedded chip products from the automotive and industrial markets.

Shares of the company were marginally lower in after-hours trading on Tuesday.

Texas Instruments, which counts Apple Inc (AAPL.O) among its largest customers, also forecast current-quarter profit of 78-88¢ per share and revenue of $3.17-$3.43bn.

Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 75¢ per share and revenue of $3.21bn, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

“From all accounts, the automotive industry at the end of the year was robust and Texas Instruments’ numbers seem to reflect that,” Loop Capital analyst Betsy Van Hees said.

The company also named Brian Crutcher, who joined the company in 1996, as its chief operating officer. Crutcher will oversee Texas Instruments’ global technology and manufacturing operations in addition to its sales operations.

The Dallas-based company’s analog chips are used to gauge changes in sound and temperature, while its embedded chip unit manufactures microcontrollers used in Internet of Things and personal devices.

Sensors used in factories, cars, shops and offices to help them operate more smartly on the industrial internet — or so-called Internet of Things — is a rapidly growing market.

Texas Instruments, often considered a barometer for the semiconductor industry, said revenue from its analog unit rose 10.5% to $2.29bn. The business accounts for more than two-thirds of its total revenue.

The company’s net income rose to $1.05bn, or $1.02 per share, in the fourth quarter ended December 31st, from $836m, or 80¢ per share, a year earlier.

Analysts had expected a profit of 82¢.

Revenue rose 7.1% to $3.41bn, beating analysts’ average estimate of $3.32bn.

The company’s shares have risen 53.2% in the last twelve months, slightly underperforming the 57.5% rise in the broader Philadelphia Semiconductor index .SOX.

More information: Reuters