Latest news with #Vicor
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Partnership Develops Tech To Cut Active Suspension Size, Weight, Cost
Close up of car wheel on a road in very bad condition with big potholes full of dirty rain water ... More pools. A new partnership aims to make a comfort feature generally available only in luxury vehicles, smaller and less expensive enough to be offered in more affordable models. That feature is called active suspension. As opposed to what's known as passive suspension using shock absorbers and springs, active suspension does a better job absorbing road bumps and other inconsistencies and providing a quieter ride using electronic components and sensors. The problem is, active suspension systems are heavier and more expensive. They also require 10-15 kilowatts of power, requiring large and heavy DC-to-DC power converters. But a partnership between Andover, Massachusetts-based Vicor and Chinese tech firm Xiamen Hongfa Electroacoustic Co., Ltd., better known as Hongfa, is combining their expertise to solve those issues, the companies announced Wednesday. Hongfa has designed the smallest and lightest active suspension system on the market by combining a ... More 48V architecture and high-density power modules. Four Vicor fixed-ratio BCM6135, 800V-to-48V DC-DC bus converters are used to convert high voltage to 48V and route power to each wheel. Hongfa, a leading manufacturer of power relays, developed a compact, lightweight active suspension system using much less power by incorporating high-density, small, lightweight power modules produced by Vicor. The systems also use regenerative power to reduce the load on a vehicle's battery—an important feature for battery electric vehicles. The Hongfa active suspension system is liquid cooled and is the most compact on the market, weighing ... More 2.6kg and measuring 197 x 201 x 71mm, according to the company. Indeed, the concept leverages the 48 volt networks replacing 12 volt systems in today's electrified vehicles aimed at improving efficiency and reducing vehicle size and weight. It's a power level considered safe for anyone servicing a vehicle, and also allows a major reduction in the size of active suspension system actuators. Greg Green, director, automotive marketing at Vicor 'What was needed was a power system that has very fast transients—it can rapidly switch from low power to high power, but more importantly, one that could switch from putting power into the actuator to accepting power out of the actuator so it can go back into the battery, and that's what our BCM 6135 does, and that's what Hongfa is leveraging to move forward in their system,' explained, in an interview. 'When it comes to active suspension, our OEM customers require a DC-DC converter with a response rate measured in milliseconds otherwise, additional battery support is needed. Vicor's BCM 6135 power modules enable the competitive performance we need,' said Peter Li, research & development director at Hongfa, in a statement. Indeed the speed at reversing direction to capture regenerative power is key to reducing the overall size of the system and draw on the vehicle's battery. Vicor BCM6135 DC-DC converter transient response is 8 million amps per second, a rate essential to ... More support optimal energy recuperation and storage for Hongfa's active suspension system Here's how it works in an active suspension system, according to Vicor. The vehicle's 800 volt battery provides current when the vehicle travels over smooth road surfaces, and the suspension actuation motor is the 48 volt load. When the vehicle travels over a bumpy road, the linear motors in the suspension system momentarily become generators, which increase the voltage on the low side of the converter. That's then multiplied by the conversion ratio of the converter, in this case 16-to-1, increasing the voltage on the input side above the 800 volt battery voltage. This difference in voltage reverses the direction of current flow. The 800V battery then momentarily becomes the load and recovers energy by charging through its battery management control system. Once the displacement from the bumpy road subsides, the bus converter once again steps down the 800 volt battery and supply current to the suspension linear motors – all without intervention from the vehicle's onboard processors. It all happens with half the equipment normally required to capture regenerative energy since Vicor's BCM 6135 DC-to-DC converter is what Green describes as "symmetrically bi-directional, so it does roughly three kilowatts down, and it does three kilowatts up, so you don't have to add additional devices for the regenerative aspect, and regenerative is very important, because it's a lot of power and you want to get it back into the battery." The results could mean a benefit for EV drivers looking to squeeze more driving range from their vehicles' batteries. 'You get a small range increase because of the weight decrease, but also because of the power regeneration, recapturing the power,' said Green. 'Essentially any suspension event, you're only consuming three to 4% of the total power that was put in, and then 96% or so gets put back into the battery. So you're not really consuming battery range, whether it's a plug-in hybrid or BEV in order to drive the suspension.' Green expects the first use of the active suspension system incorporating Vicor and Hongfa technology to reach consumers around the end of 2026 or 2027—the 2028 and 2029 model years, mainly in luxury and mid-luxury vehicles. But within about 15 years, it could become ubiquitous across a wider vehicle price range as high-volume production results in lower costs. Of course, with Hongfa being located in China, the question comes up regarding import tariff considerations. But it's an issue Green predicts will have little impact, pointing out Vicor ships its U.S.-made power modules to Hongfa, which builds the finished product. 'We see a little impact, of course, in some of the stuff that we buy,' said Green. 'But you know, this is a made in America product. So, yeah, there's some tariff issues going on, but I would say by the time we're actually live, those will be resolved.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Volatile Stocks with Mounting Challenges
A highly volatile stock can deliver big gains - or just as easily wipe out a portfolio if things go south. While some investors embrace risk, mistakes can be costly for those who aren't prepared. At StockStory, our job is to help you avoid costly mistakes and stay on the right side of the trade. That said, here are three volatile stocks to steer clear of and a few better alternatives. Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.84 Founded by a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vicor (NASDAQ:VICR) provides electrical power conversion and delivery products for a range of industries. Why Is VICR Not Exciting? Customers postponed purchases of its products and services this cycle as its revenue declined by 5% annually over the last two years Performance over the past two years was negatively impacted by new share issuances as its earnings per share dropped by 12.9% annually, worse than its revenue Eroding returns on capital suggest its historical profit centers are aging Vicor's stock price of $43.91 implies a valuation ratio of 27.4x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including VICR in your portfolio, it's free. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.91 Pioneering the ability to read the human genome at unprecedented speed and affordability, Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) develops and sells advanced DNA sequencing and microarray technologies that allow researchers and clinicians to analyze genetic variations and functions. Why Are We Out on ILMN? Absence of organic revenue growth over the past two years suggests it may have to lean into acquisitions to drive its expansion Earnings per share fell by 8.9% annually over the last five years while its revenue grew, showing its incremental sales were much less profitable Underwhelming 1.2% return on capital reflects management's difficulties in finding profitable growth opportunities At $81.56 per share, Illumina trades at 17.7x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why ILMN doesn't pass our bar. Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.53 Originally founded in 1968 as a defense contractor for the U.S. government, PAR Technology (NYSE:PAR) provides cloud-based software, payment processing, and hardware solutions that help restaurants manage everything from point-of-sale to customer loyalty programs. Why Do We Think Twice About PAR? Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 6.3 percentage points Cash-burning tendencies make us wonder if it can sustainably generate shareholder value Limited cash reserves may force the company to seek unfavorable financing terms that could dilute shareholders PAR Technology is trading at $66.29 per share, or 251.2x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than PAR. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Vicor Stock Plummeted by 23% on Wednesday
The company published its first-quarter results after market close on Tuesday. It missed on both the top and bottom lines. Power module specialist Vicor's (NASDAQ: VICR) was looking anything but powerful on Wednesday, as its shares lost more than 23% of their value. The culprit was a quarterly earnings report that investors found not to their liking, to put it mildly. Vicor's slide came on a not-bad day for stocks overall, which saw the S&P 500 index close up marginally (by almost 0.2%). Vicor published its first-quarter earnings after market hours on Tuesday, and the market's blowback was strong the following day. The report revealed that revenue was just shy of $94 million for the period. Although this number was 12% higher than the first quarter of 2024's result, it landed notably short of the average analyst estimate of over $97 million. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » The situation on the bottom line was more discouraging. Again, the result was better, but it still missed the consensus projection. Vicor's GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) net income was $2.5 million ($0.06 per share), far better than the $14.5 million loss the company posted in the year-ago quarter. Yet, the clutch of analysts tracking the stock were expecting far better, with a collective $0.29 per-share profit estimate. While Vicor's performance improved on a year-over-year basis compared to the final frame of 2024, its first quarter didn't look so hot. In the earnings press release, the company quoted CEO Patrizio Vinciarelli as saying, "Revenue and gross margins declined sequentially, with reduced income from a licensee transitioning to a new generation of unlicensed products." Compounding this, investors are generally nervous about how the current trade war will play out. Device makers, such as Vicor, are considered particularly vulnerable due to potentially higher costs for components. Before you buy stock in Vicor, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Vicor wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $607,048!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $668,193!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 880% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 161% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of April 28, 2025 Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Vicor Stock Plummeted by 23% on Wednesday was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vicor First Quarter 2025 Earnings: Misses Expectations
Revenue: US$94.0m (up 12% from 1Q 2024). Net income: US$2.54m (up from US$14.5m loss in 1Q 2024). Profit margin: 2.7% (up from net loss in 1Q 2024). The move to profitability was primarily driven by higher revenue. EPS: US$0.056 (up from US$0.33 loss in 1Q 2024). Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Revenue missed analyst estimates by 2.8%. Earnings per share (EPS) also missed analyst estimates by 69%. Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 14% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, compared to a 7.9% growth forecast for the Electrical industry in the US. Performance of the American Electrical industry. The company's shares are down 16% from a week ago. We should say that we've discovered 2 warning signs for Vicor that you should be aware of before investing here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vicor (NASDAQ:VICR) Misses Q1 Revenue Estimates, Stock Drops 11.5%
Power conversion and control solutions provider Vicor Corporation (NASDAQ:VICR) missed Wall Street's revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, but sales rose 12% year on year to $93.97 million. Its GAAP profit of $0.06 per share was 69.2% below analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy Vicor? Find out in our full research report. Revenue: $93.97 million vs analyst estimates of $96.63 million (12% year-on-year growth, 2.8% miss) EPS (GAAP): $0.06 vs analyst expectations of $0.20 (69.2% miss) Operating Margin: -0.2%, down from 1.3% in the same quarter last year Backlog: $171.7 million at quarter end Market Capitalization: $2.33 billion Commenting on first quarter performance, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Patrizio Vinciarelli stated: 'Revenues and gross margins declined sequentially, with reduced income from a licensee transitioning to a new generation of unlicensed products. Margin improvements await higher utilization of our ChiP fab and increased income from existing and future licensees. Licensing has been gaining traction with OEMs and hyper-scalers wishing to avoid infringing hardware being excluded from importation into the US.' Founded by a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vicor (NASDAQ:VICR) provides electrical power conversion and delivery products for a range of industries. Examining a company's long-term performance can provide clues about its quality. Even a bad business can shine for one or two quarters, but a top-tier one grows for years. Regrettably, Vicor's sales grew at a mediocre 7.2% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years. This was below our standard for the industrials sector and is a rough starting point for our analysis. Long-term growth is the most important, but within industrials, a half-decade historical view may miss new industry trends or demand cycles. Vicor's performance shows it grew in the past but relinquished its gains over the last two years, as its revenue fell by 5% annually. Vicor isn't alone in its struggles as the Electronic Components industry experienced a cyclical downturn, with many similar businesses observing lower sales at this time. This quarter, Vicor's revenue grew by 12% year on year to $93.97 million but fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Looking ahead, sell-side analysts expect revenue to grow 15.8% over the next 12 months, an improvement versus the last two years. This projection is eye-popping and suggests its newer products and services will catalyze better top-line performance. Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report one of our favorites growth stories. Operating margin is an important measure of profitability as it shows the portion of revenue left after accounting for all core expenses – everything from the cost of goods sold to advertising and wages. It's also useful for comparing profitability across companies with different levels of debt and tax rates because it excludes interest and taxes. Vicor has done a decent job managing its cost base over the last five years. The company has produced an average operating margin of 9.7%, higher than the broader industrials sector. Analyzing the trend in its profitability, Vicor's operating margin decreased by 5.9 percentage points over the last five years. This raises questions about the company's expense base because its revenue growth should have given it leverage on its fixed costs, resulting in better economies of scale and profitability. This quarter, Vicor's breakeven margin was down 1.5 percentage points year on year. Since Vicor's gross margin decreased more than its operating margin, we can assume its recent inefficiencies were driven more by weaker leverage on its cost of sales rather than increased marketing, R&D, and administrative overhead expenses. Revenue trends explain a company's historical growth, but the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) points to the profitability of that growth – for example, a company could inflate its sales through excessive spending on advertising and promotions. Vicor's EPS grew at an astounding 22.3% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years, higher than its 7.2% annualized revenue growth. However, we take this with a grain of salt because its operating margin didn't expand and it didn't repurchase its shares, meaning the delta came from reduced interest expenses or taxes. Like with revenue, we analyze EPS over a more recent period because it can provide insight into an emerging theme or development for the business. Vicor's two-year annual EPS declines of 21.8% were bad and lower than its two-year revenue performance. In Q1, Vicor reported EPS at $0.06, up from negative $0.33 in the same quarter last year. Despite growing year on year, this print missed analysts' estimates, but we care more about long-term EPS growth than short-term movements. Over the next 12 months, Wall Street expects Vicor's full-year EPS of $0.52 to grow 148%. We struggled to find many positives in these results as its revenue and EPS fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Overall, this quarter could have been better. The stock traded down 11.5% to $46.03 immediately following the results. Vicor's earnings report left more to be desired. Let's look forward to see if this quarter has created an opportunity to buy the stock. When making that decision, it's important to consider its valuation, business qualities, as well as what has happened in the latest quarter. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it's free. Sign in to access your portfolio
