Aliso Viejo-based Microsemi Corp. is in “advanced talks” on a potential sale to Microchip Technology Inc., according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The report comes less than a week after RBC Capital analyst Amit Daryanani listed Microsemi as a potential takeover target for Broadcom Ltd. if its ‘reduced’ $117 billion bid for Qualcomm Inc. fails. Less than a month ago the local chipmaker hired investment bank Qatalyst Partners to explore options, according to reports by Reuters and Dealreporter.
Microsemi has a longstanding policy of not commenting on speculation.
The company under Chief Executive Jim Peterson has undergone a diversification effort in the communication, Internet of Things and data center segments to augment its legacy positions in the military, industrial and aerospace sectors.
Its chips are built into satellites, drones, digital televisions, defibrillators, pacemakers and other devices made by the likes of Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Inc. and Samsung Electronics.
Microsemi shares are up less than 1% in early afternoon trading to $64.51, just shy of its all-time high and a $7.5 billion market value. Shares of Chandler, Ariz.-based Microchip Technology are up 2.4% to $88.50 and a market cap of about $21 billion. Like Microsemi it designs a number of semiconductor products for customers in the consumer, health care and defense and aerospace markets.
The rumored price is in the mid-$60 range, which RBC analyst Mitch Steves panned as too low in an investor note.
