SMTCSemtech Corporation
Is it safe?
Forensics clean, with a caveat: a safe balance sheet and clean books, but big price swings.
Financially healthy, low distress risk Altman Z-score, a bankruptcy-risk model from five balance-sheet ratios.
Reported earnings show no manipulation flags Beneish M-score, a forensic model that detects earnings-manipulation patterns (receivables outrunning sales, margins slipping, accrual-heavy profit).
High fundamental quality Piotroski F-score, nine pass/fail tests of year-over-year financial health across profitability, balance sheet and efficiency. 7 to 9 is strong, 0 to 3 weak.
Insiders were net sellers (-$4.0M, 90 days to Oct 8, 2026), selling is often routine.
Investment-grade balance sheet. A rule of thumb on leverage, not a credit rating.
Large price swings, high volatility. Worst drawdown -85% · now 6% below its 52-week high.
Unless marked, from SEC EDGAR, as of Jan 25, 2026.
Against the whole market›
Percentile against every name Ryufin tracks. Higher is better; the tick marks the middle of the market. Context, not one of the checks above.
Where this answer is blind. Altman sits structurally low for utilities and pipelines; Beneish runs high for fast growers, since sales growth alone lifts it; banks and REITs are excluded.
Can SMTC take a bad year?
Semtech Corporation carries $329M of net debt at 14.2× EBITDA: a heavy load to carry through a bad year.
Net debt · as at Q1 2026 · over four years of earnings before interest, tax and depreciation, heavy
- Net debt / EBITDA
- 14.2×
Net debt / EBITDA · 4.63× a year ago · the load is going up
- Altman Z-score
- 11.25
Altman Z-score · safe zone, above 3
- Interest cover
- 2.32×
Interest cover · operating profit covers the interest bill, with room to spare
Details›
- Total debtQ1 2026
- $492M
- Cash and short-term investments
- $163M
- Net debt
- $329M
- EBITDA, trailing twelve months
- $23M
- Operating profit, trailing twelve months
- $22M
- Debt / equity
- 0.86×
- Total debt / EBITDA
- 21.2×
- Annualised volatilitytwo years of daily moves
- 79%
- Worst drawdown on file
- −85%
- Below its 52-week high
- 5.8%
Balance sheet from SEC filings; drawdown and volatility from end-of-day closes; Altman Z from the filed statements.