MPWR vs TXN: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: TXN is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. MPWR and TXN share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined MPWR and TXN exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Monolithic Power Systems is a Kirkland, Washington based fabless semiconductor company that designs power-management and analog integrated circuits. Its proprietary BCD (bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process integrates analog, digital, and memory functions onto a single chip, which lets it build compact, high-efficiency power modules used across enterprise data and AI servers, automotive, computing and storage, communications, industrial, and consumer end markets. The company outsources manufacturing and focuses on design, and its integrated power modules have become a reference standard as AI GPU clusters push toward extreme power densities.

Full MPWR guide

Texas Instruments (TI) is one of the largest analog semiconductor companies in the world. The vast majority of TI's revenue comes from analog and embedded processing chips: signal-chain semiconductors (op-amps, ADCs, DACs), power management ICs, and small microcontrollers. These are unglamorous compared to GPUs but are essential to nearly every electronic system: industrial equipment, automotive (a major end market), communications infrastructure, and consumer electronics.

Full TXN guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• MPWR drivers: AI data-center power demand; Diversified end markets.
• TXN drivers: US-domestic manufacturing capacity expansion; Automotive and industrial as core growth markets.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The most visible risk is valuation: a market cap near $70 billion on roughly $2.9 billion of trailing revenue leaves little margin for error, so any growth disappointment can trigger sharp drawdowns. For TXN, the massive US fab expansion compresses margins near-term and creates execution risk if demand doesn't materialize as expected.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick MPWR if you believe its drivers more; TXN if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the MPWR and TXN guides.

MPWR. MPWR trades at a steep premium to the broader semiconductor group, reflecting its growth rate and AI exposure rather than current earnings. Gross margin has held near 55 percent, and the balance sheet is largely debt-free. The gap between the trailing multiple near 100x and the forward multiple near 50x underscores how much future earnings growth is embedded in the price.

TXN. TI's premium valuation reflects the quality of the analog business (sticky designs, long product lifecycles, high margins) and the dividend growth track record. The multiple is pressured near-term by the fab capex; longer-term it normalizes as new capacity comes online.

Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): MPWR shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.9B, fy2025 revenue ~$2.79B (+26% YoY), q1 2026 revenue ~$804M (+26% YoY, record), market cap ~$70B; TXN shows revenue (ttm) ~$17 billion (recovering from 2023-2024 trough), operating margin ~38% (compressed by fab capex), net income (ttm) ~$5 billion, eps (ttm) ~$5.50.

MPWR and TXN are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined MPWR and TXN exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.