Morgan Stanley analyst Craig Hettenbach sees pressure building toward an eventual reset in the first half of 2019 for semiconductor companies that have so far characterized their automotive business as "stable." He believes estimates are still too high in autos and notes that his 2019 EPS estimate is 15% below the Street for ON Semiconductor (ON) and 5% below consensus for Sensata (ST). Having braced for a greater degree of negativity, Hettenbach was surprised that commentary on autos was mixed during earnings season, and he sees companies that have been slower to reset expectations being more susceptible to order reductions as suppliers and OEMs adjust to weaker than expected production, he tells investors. The analyst reiterates his Underweight ratings on both ON and Sensata.

BofA raised the firm's price target on Texas Instruments (TXN) to $190 from $175 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. TI's small Q1 beat and inline but sequentially rising Q2 sales guidance, "while modest, potentially marks a recovery inflection in industrial chip demand," with positive read-across for U.S. peers such as Analog Devices (ADI), Microchip (MCHP), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) and On Semiconductor (ON), the analyst tells investors. However, despite an expected recovery, TI's sustained high capex intensity could keep reported calendar year 2024-26 pro-forma EPS below $6 per share, the analyst added.

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Wells Fargo lowered the firm's price target on On Semiconductor (ON) to $95 from $110 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares ahead of quarterly results. The firm anticipates On to deliver a Q2 guide slightly below expectations as it adjusts to Tesla-specific (TSLA) production softness specific to image sensor and SiC sales.