In an earnings preview sent this morning, MKM Partners analyst Ian Ing said he expects more modest upside to consensus from Broadcom Limited (AVGO), though he still views it as a "solid performer." With catalysts on the horizon appearing "less powerful" now that the company has greater end-market diversification and exposure to Apple (AAPL) iPhone sell-through risk, Ing thinks investors will now focus on how quickly the company can do another acquisition. Xilinx (XLNX), Marvell (MRVL) and Cavium (CAVM) are the only companies with fabless manufacturing models that haven't already been consolidated, noted Ing, who adds that a merger of equals with Qualcomm (QCOM) would make sense, but he believes "powerful smartphone customers" may not want to see a single supplier for both digital baseband and RF content. MKM keeps a Buy rating on Broadcom shares ahead of Thursday's earnings report.

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Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.  1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here