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RF Industries Plunges 25% in a Month: Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?

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Key Takeaways

  • RF Industries' backlog rose to $15M on $18.7M bookings, reflecting strong customer adoption.
  • Gross margin expanded 160 bps to 31.5% on better product mix and efficiency efforts.
  • The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates Q3 sales to be near $18.5M with EPS at $0.06.

RF Industries (RFIL - Free Report) shares have plunged 24.6% in the past month, underperforming the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s return of 2% and the Zacks Semiconductor Radio Frequency industry’s appreciation of 1.9%.

RF Industries benefits from growing adoption of its integrated solutions, with backlog increasing to $15 million at the end of the second quarter of 2025 on bookings of $18.7 million. The company is winning new customers as well as repeat customers, reflecting a strong adoption rate as well as growing credibility and reputation. 

Gross margin expanded 160 basis points year over year to 31.5% reflecting a better product mix and the company’s continued efforts to drive cost savings and operating efficiencies. RF Industries expects third-quarter fiscal 2025 sales to be roughly in line with second-quarter sales ($18.9 million) and a significant increase from $16.8 million reported in the year-ago quarter.

Year to date (YTD), RFIL shares have jumped 64.1% outperforming the broader sector’s appreciation of 11.8% and the industry’s decline of 4.5%. RFIL shares have outperformed peers, including TE Connectivity (TEL - Free Report) , Qorvo (QRVO - Free Report) and Skyworks (SWKS - Free Report) . While shares of TE Connectivity and Qorvo surged 41% and 27.4%, Skyworks fell 15.3% YTD.

RFIL Stock’s YTD Performance

 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Technically, RFIL is trading above the 200-day SMA, suggesting a bullish trend.

RFIL Trades Above 200-Day SMA

 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

So, what should investors do with RFIL stock? Let’s dig deep into its fundamentals to gain some insight.

RFIL Benefits From Strong Portfolio and Adoption

RF Industries’ ongoing transition from a product-oriented company to an integrated solutions provider is expected to drive top-line growth over the long term. The company is gaining its footprint among wireless, aerospace, public safety and industrial OEM customers. RFIL is planning to penetrate industries including energy, transportation, wireline telecom and data centers.

RFIL’s small cell solutions are gaining adoption. It currently has 100 opportunities in the sales pipeline for Wireless DAS build-outs in stadiums and venues. Powered by new innovations that are enhancing cost-effective cooling systems is driving RFIL’s demand for direct air cooling as AI deployment drives demand for data centers. Next-gen systems that feature advanced control capabilities and a NEMA 4 certification for more rugged environments are expanding RF Industries’ opportunity into wireline telecom, edge data centers, energy and transportation applications.

A streamlined procurement and supply chain process is reducing inventory, which was $12.6 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, down from $14.7 million in the year-ago quarter. RF Industries is diversifying its supply chain, which is helping it limit tariff-related uncertainties. The company has some exposure to tariffs from certain products and components through certain suppliers in Asia, which is, however, expected to have a limited impact in the near term.

RFIL’s Earnings Estimate Revision Shows Steady Trend

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings is currently pegged at 6 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $18.5 million, suggesting roughly 10% over the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.
 

 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2025 earnings is currently pegged at 24 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $76.4 million, suggesting a jump of 17.8% from fiscal 2024’s reported figure.

RFIL Shares Are Overvalued

RF Industries shares are overvalued, as suggested by the Value Score of C. 

In terms of forward price/cash flow, RFIL is trading at 13.92X compared with the industry’s 7.3X, suggesting a premium valuation.

RFIL Valuation

 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

RF Industries is trading at a higher multiple compared with Qorvo’s 11.53X and Skyworks’ 7.16X, but at a lower multiple compared with TE Connectivity’s 15.97X.

Conclusion

RF Industries’ initiatives to diversify its footprint and the growing adoption of its solutions, which are driving the backlog, are positive. However, tariffs are expected to negatively impact growth, and stretched valuation makes the stock a risky bet for investors in the near term.

RF Industries currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which implies investors should wait for a favorable point to accumulate the stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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