Semiconductor Stars: Ranking the Top 5 Chip Stocks by YTD Performance

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1. MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL)

YTD Share Price Return: 341.08%

MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) is one of the top semiconductor stocks in our ranking of the top 10 chip stocks by YTD performance. MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Loop Capital on April 29, with the firm lifting the price target on the stock to $75 from $17. The rating update came after the company reported its fiscal Q1 2026 earnings on April 23. Loop Capital told investors in a research note that although the stock has nearly tripled this year, the firm’s work “strongly suggests this train has a lot of room left to run”, and that the company’s recent results confirmed its momentum.

In its fiscal Q1 2026 results, MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) reported a net revenue of $137.2 million, up 43% year-over-year and attributed to an inflection in the company’s infrastructure business, which surged 136% versus the previous year. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin reached 59.5% and diluted EPS was $0.22, representing a considerable improvement from the loss of $0.05 per share reported in fiscal Q1 2025.

MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) provides communications systems-on-chip (SoC) solutions used in broadband, data center, mobile, and wireline infrastructure, and industrial and multi-market applications. The company’s products include wireline connectivity devices, direct broadcast satellite outdoor and indoor units, cable broadband modems and gateways, radio frequency transceivers, fiber-optic modules, video set-top boxes and gateways, hybrid analog and digital televisions, and power management and interface products.

While we acknowledge the potential of MXL to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MXL and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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