Intel sales forecast implicates difficult second half of 2021 due to supply constraints

July 22 (Reuters) – Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) said on Thursday it still faces supply chain constraints and gave annual sales forecasts that implied a weak year-end .

The forecast of $ 73.5 billion in adjusted sales for 2021 was higher than Wall Street’s expectations, and appeared to be driven by a strong second quarter ended June 26 and a slightly better-than-expected third quarter, implying a weak fourth quarter . The results pushed stocks down 2.8% in after-hours trading after the results.

Intel, one of the few remaining companies in the processor chip industry to design and manufacture its own chips, has been able to weather supply chain difficulties better than some competitors and is also working to build a business. manufacturing chips for others, called a “foundry” business.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger declined to comment on a recent report that Intel plans to buy GlobalFoundries for $ 30 billion to bolster its foundry efforts, but told Reuters it expects that industry consolidation continues and that “mergers and acquisitions will remain part of our strategy”. to develop the foundry activity of the company.

Intel raised its previous annual forecast by $ 1 billion from its previous $ 72.5 billion and exceeded expectations by $ 72.80 billion, according to data from Refinitiv IBES. Intel is forecasting adjusted third-quarter revenue of around $ 18.2 billion, slightly above estimates of $ 18.09 billion, according to data from Refinitiv.

“I think investors just expect more from semiconductor companies in this environment,” said Logan Purk, analyst at Edward Jones. “Even though they raised their revenue forecast, it was only about a 1% increase. Much of the change in profit guidance was due to a lower tax rate.

Gelsinger said Intel could sell more chips if it could make more chips. Even though the company operates its own factories, it still faces supply constraints from its own suppliers of materials and equipment.

“We are helping them build factories as fast as they can,” Gelsinger told Reuters. “But it will be one of those things that will only take a few years to fully catch up with this explosive demand that we are seeing, and we have better tools to meet it than others.”

But some analysts disagree with Intel’s optimistic view on final demand. Citing a moderate forecast this week from Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.O), Kinngai Chan, analyst at Summit Insights Group, took issue with Gelsinger’s view on the market and said Intel was likely to continue to “play the game. defense “against rivals like AMD with better chips.

“We believe the entire semiconductor supply chain will be caught up by 4Q21, as we believe there is endemic dual control in the supply chain associated with moderate market demand. final, ”Chan said.

For the second quarter that just ended, Intel reported $ 18.5 billion in adjusted sales, well above analysts’ estimate of $ 17.80 billion, according to data from Refinitiv.

Taking into account the second and third quarters, Angelo Zino, analyst at CFRA Research, said Intel’s slightly higher forecast for the full year implied lower fourth-quarter sales compared to previous forecasts – although the fourth quarter is generally one of the best in the business. quarters as consumers buy laptops and PCs as holiday gifts. Intel has revealed that a one-time charge of $ 300 million will hit the fourth quarter, saying it was related to its business selling supercomputers to the federal government.

Gelsinger, however, told investors on a conference call that he expects the PC market to continue to grow through 2022, contradicting the predictions of some analysts.

Revenue from the company’s higher-margin data center business fell 9% to $ 6.5 billion in the second quarter, while revenue from its personal IT business grew 6%, exceeding Refinitiv’s estimates.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned $ 1.28 per share in the second quarter, compared to estimates of $ 1.06, according to data from Refinitiv.

Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Diane Craft

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