MXL vs SWKS Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
MXL (MaxLinear) and SWKS (Skyworks Solutions) are both fabless connectivity semiconductor companies but in very different markets — MaxLinear serves broadband infrastructure (cable modems, DSL, data center optical interconnects) while Skyworks provides RF front-end modules predominantly for Apple iPhones and other wireless devices. MaxLinear has infrastructure/data center exposure; Skyworks has high Apple concentration with 5G smartphone RF content growth.
MXL vs SWKS is broadband infrastructure silicon (MaxLinear's cable modem, DSL, and data center optical interconnect chips tied to operator capex cycles) versus smartphone RF module dominance (Skyworks' iPhone supply chain concentration with 5G complexity driving higher content per device) — infrastructure capex cycles versus consumer device wireless chip market.
MXL holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MXL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+385.75% vs +15.23%), though SWKS has the better forward P/E setup (14.88x vs 24.29x for MXL). On fundamentals, MXL is growing revenue faster (55.20%), while SWKS maintains the higher operating margin (8.82%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for MXL (+50.69%) than for SWKS (-7.66%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to broadband infrastructure upgrades (DOCSIS 4.0 cable, G.fast DSL) and data center optical connectivity demand as hyperscalers build 400G/800G optical interconnects for AI workloads
- Value MaxLinear's diversified connectivity portfolio across cable, DSL, and data center without the extreme single-customer concentration of Skyworks' Apple dependency
- Accept smaller market cap and lower liquidity as a tradeoff for more focused broadband infrastructure semiconductor exposure
- Want exposure to smartphone RF content growth as 5G adoption drives more frequency bands, more sophisticated front-end modules, and higher ASPs per device — with Apple as the primary volume driver
- Value Skyworks' iPhone supply chain incumbency as generating large, recurring revenue from Apple's high-volume smartphone business, even with the concentration risk it implies
- See automotive and IoT diversification as a multi-year path to reducing Apple dependency while maintaining near-term smartphone RF revenue strength
| Metric | MXL | SWKS |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 54.6 | 34.6 |
| AI ranki | #288 | #1811 |
| Latest closei | $81.12 | $88.76 |
| 1M returni | +22.11% | +29.61% |
| 6M returni | +389.86% | +64.01% |
| 1Y returni | +385.75% | +15.23% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | MXL | SWKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $48.57K (+385.7%) started 2025-09-18 | $11.52K (+15.2%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $16.31K (+63.1%) started 2021-09-20 | $6.25K (-37.5%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $42.07K (+320.7%) started 2016-09-19 | $16.44K (+64.4%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | MXL | SWKS |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $5.69B | $11.14B |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | 38.35 |
| Forward P/Ei | 24.29 | 14.88 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | 2.72 |
| EV/Revenuei | 10.15 | 2.75 |
| Analyst targeti | $94.55 | $68.35 |
| Target upsidei | +50.69% | -7.66% |
| Metric | MXL | SWKS |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 55.20% | -3.10% |
| Earnings growthi | N/A | -68.60% |
| EPS growthi | N/A | -68.60% |
| FCF margini | +2.53% | +11.18% |
| Operating margini | -2.44% | 8.82% |
| Profit margini | -18.24% | 7.23% |
| ROIC proxyi | -21.32% | 5.09% |
| Return on equityi | -21.32% | 5.09% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | 4.13% |
| Payout ratioi | 0.00% | 147.15% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | No increase yet |
| Betai | 3.94 | 1.52 |
| Debt/equityi | 30.57 | 11.87 |
| Current ratioi | 1.78 | 3.10 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.69 | 1.31 |
Over the past year, MXL and SWKS have moved weakly in the same direction (correlation of 0.34), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | MXL | SWKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +385.75% | +15.23% |
| CAGRi | +386.27% | +15.24% | |
| Volatilityi | 124.06% | 51.43% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.79 | 0.44 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 3.48 | 0.67 | |
| Max drawdowni | 55.28% | 36.72% | |
| Current drawdowni | 36.64% | 2.80% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 16.41% | 20.14% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 22.76% | 22.26% | |
| Max daily dropi | 21.54% | 10.46% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 34.04% | 13.73% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +63.06% | -43.04% |
| CAGRi | +10.29% | -10.66% | |
| Volatilityi | 82.14% | 42.76% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.46 | -0.15 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.71 | -0.21 | |
| Max drawdowni | 88.13% | 68.98% | |
| Current drawdowni | 36.64% | 44.04% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 60.12% | 42.08% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 64.71% | 44.47% | |
| Max daily dropi | 37.10% | 24.67% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 46.59% | 26.62% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +320.75% | +37.59% |
| CAGRi | +15.46% | +3.24% | |
| Volatilityi | 68.56% | 40.82% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.48 | 0.17 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.72 | 0.25 | |
| Max drawdowni | 88.13% | 72.88% | |
| Current drawdowni | 36.64% | 51.07% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 42.25% | 31.37% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 50.18% | 38.12% | |
| Max daily dropi | 37.10% | 24.67% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 46.59% | 26.62% |
| Category | MXL | SWKS |
|---|---|---|
| Company | MaxLinear, Inc. | Skyworks Solutions, Inc. |
| Sector | Technology | Technology |
| Industry | Semiconductors | Semiconductors |
| Core business | MaxLinear is a fabless semiconductor company providing broadband access chips (cable modems, xDSL, G.fast), optical interconnect components for data center transceivers, high-speed Ethernet chips, and wireless backhaul semiconductor solutions. MaxLinear serves cable operators, telecom carriers, cloud data centers, and enterprise network equipment manufacturers. | Skyworks Solutions is a fabless RF (radio frequency) semiconductor company providing front-end modules (combining power amplifiers, filters, switches) for smartphones, IoT devices, 5G infrastructure, automotive connectivity, and industrial wireless applications. Skyworks' chips handle the wireless signal transmission and reception in mobile devices. |
| Investor focus | Investors track MaxLinear's broadband infrastructure revenue tied to cable and DSL upgrade cycles, data center connectivity IC growth (optical transceivers for hyperscaler data centers), and the Silicon Motion acquisition attempt dynamics. | Investors track Skyworks' Apple revenue dependency (Apple has historically represented 50%+ of Skyworks revenue as the primary iPhone RF supplier), broad market diversification efforts (automotive, IoT, infrastructure), margin trajectory, and the risk of Apple bringing RF technology in-house or diversifying its supplier base. |
- Cable broadband silicon leadership — MaxLinear's DOCSIS cable modem chips power a significant share of the world's cable broadband modems; as cable operators upgrade to DOCSIS 3.1 and DOCSIS 4.0, MaxLinear's more capable chips command higher ASPs
- Data center optical interconnect expansion — MaxLinear's coherent DSP and PAM4 chips for data center optical transceivers benefit from cloud hyperscalers' insatiable bandwidth demand between servers and between facilities
- Broadband infrastructure diversification across cable, DSL, and wireless backhaul reduces single-technology concentration risk
- iPhone RF module incumbency — Skyworks has been a primary Apple supplier for cellular front-end modules across multiple iPhone generations, creating substantial recurring revenue from Apple's massive iPhone shipment volumes
- 5G complexity increases RF content per device — 5G phones require more frequency bands, more complex antenna tuning, and more sophisticated front-end modules than 4G LTE, supporting higher average selling prices for Skyworks' content per smartphone
- Broad market diversification into automotive connectivity (vehicle telematics, V2X communications) and IoT reduces Apple dependency over time
- Small market cap and lower liquidity versus larger semiconductor peers — MaxLinear can experience amplified volatility during industry downturns or sentiment shifts
- Cable broadband capex is cyclical — cable operators periodically pause or reduce upgrade spending, creating lumpy MaxLinear revenue patterns tied to operator upgrade timing
- Competition from Broadcom in cable access silicon — Broadcom has significantly greater resources and customer relationships in cable infrastructure that constrains MaxLinear's ability to fully dominate this niche
- Apple customer concentration risk is significant — Apple representing 50%+ of revenue creates substantial risk if Apple brings RF in-house (Apple has been developing its own modem and RF chips), diversifies to Qorvo or Qualcomm for RF, or if iPhone shipments decline
- RF semiconductor market is competitive — Qorvo, Broadcom, and Murata compete directly for smartphone RF content; Skyworks must continue winning design slots to maintain revenue
- Smartphone market maturity — global smartphone unit volumes are roughly flat; without unit growth, Skyworks' mobile revenue depends on 5G upgrade cycles and content increases per device
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