RF chipmakers shares rebound as Qualcomm entry concerns ease $RFMD #Reuters

RF chipmakers shares rebound as Qualcomm entry concerns ease $RFMD

Shares in specialist radio frequency chipmakers Skyworks Solutions Inc and RF Micro Devices Inc regained lost ground on Friday as analysts debated the significance of looming competition from cellphone chipmaker Qualcomm Inc.

Skyworks shares rose 5 percent and RFMD shares 4 percent, recouping some of the losses suffered on Thursday after Qualcomm unveiled plans for its own radio frequency (RF) chip.

Qualcomm's low-power radio chipset, dubbed RF360, promises to work across various bands, raising concerns that the entry of a mobile chip heavyweight would limit growth of the radio chipmakers.

Lazard Capital Markets analysts said on Friday they would be surprised if Qualcomm would risk damaging integrated circuit partnerships to seek a maximum operating income opportunity of about $400 million to $600 million.

"We believe QCOM's front-end RF360 solution is largely a 'proof of concept' to pressure the industry to solve 'band fragmentation' vs a dominant solution that could threaten RFMD," Lazard analysts wrote in a note.

The brokerage upgraded RF Micro's stock to "buy" from "neutral."