ticker: DIOD exchange: NASDAQ name: Diodes Incorporated layer: L9-Discrete sector: Semiconductors subsector: Discrete + Analog (MOSFETs, TVS, Schottky, SBR, LED drivers, logic ICs) verdict: RED verify_date: 2026-05-28 price_at_screen: 108.40

DIOD — Diodes Incorporated Graham Screen

Verify date: 2026-05-28 | Price: $108.40 | Market cap: ~$5.0B


GATE CHECK: Price / Range / YTD

Metric Value
Current price $108.40
52w High $117.80
52w Low $42.28
Distance from 52w High -8.0%
YTD Return (2026) +110.8%
YTD start price ~$51.50

ABBREVIATED REPORT TRIGGERED: YTD >80% (+110.8%) AND within 10% of 52w high (8.0% away). Both conditions met. Full screen run regardless because the thesis question — "sub-15x fwd P/E, has it rerated?" — needs quantitative closure for the layer tracker.


FULL SCREEN (shr-020 pre-buy diligence standard applied)

1. Company Profile

Diodes Incorporated (DIOD, NASDAQ) designs, manufactures, and markets discrete and analog semiconductors. Revenue mix: automotive (~25%), industrial (~20%), consumer (~30%), communications/computing (~25%). Fabless/fab-lite hybrid — owns back-end assembly in Asia (China, Taiwan, UK). Market cap $5.0B, ~46M shares outstanding.

Key recent event: Chairman and co-founder Dr. Keh-Shew Lu retired May 12 2026. Lu had led DIOD for 24 years. Angie Chen Button elected new Chair. Leadership transition risk elevated.


2. Recent Price Action & Catalyst Review (shr-020)

The stock was at $42.28 (52w low) before a +163% run to the current $108.40. The move is driven by:

  1. Q1 2026 earnings beat (May 7): Revenue $405.5M (+22% YoY), EPS $0.43 vs $0.34 consensus (+27% beat). Q2 guide $421–448M vs $424M est — modest upside.
  2. Truist upgrade (Apr 13): Hold → Buy, PT $67→$98 (now raised again to $139 on May 8).
  3. Baird raise (Apr 7): PT $80→$100.
  4. Semi sector recovery sentiment: Broad analog/discrete re-rating on auto restocking thesis.

The stock is up +163% from the 52w low in approximately 5 months. This is a momentum-driven rerating, not a value entry point.


3. Financial Metrics Summary

Metric Value Note
Revenue FY2025 $1.48B -11% vs FY2022 peak $2.00B
Revenue FY2024 $1.31B Trough year
Revenue Q1 2026 $405.5M (+22% YoY) Recovery underway
Gross margin TTM 31.3% vs 5yr avg 36.5% — compressed
Operating margin TTM 4.3% vs 5yr avg 11.5% — severely compressed
Net margin TTM 5.5% vs 2022 peak ~16.6%
EPS FY2022 $7.20 Peak
EPS FY2023 $4.91 -32% from peak
EPS FY2024 $0.95 -87% from peak
EPS FY2025 $1.43 Partial recovery
EPS TTM $1.85 Recovering but far from peak
EPS FY2026E $4.99 Consensus; +239% YoY if delivered
Trailing P/E 58.6x Not investable on Graham basis
Forward P/E 21.7x Was "sub-15x" thesis — now 21.7x
P/B (annual) 1.22x Only metric near Graham comfort zone
P/B (quarterly) 1.66x
EV/EBITDA TTM 52.8x Severely elevated on depressed EBITDA
Total debt $95.6M Very low
Total cash $404M Net cash positive ~$308M
D/E ratio 0.03x Pristine balance sheet
Current ratio 3.32x Strong
FCF FY2025 $137M Recovering from $46M in FY2024
ROE TTM 4.5% Far below cost of capital
Short % float 5.4% Low — no squeeze dynamic
Beta 1.94 High cyclical beta

4. Auto/Industrial Trajectory

The recovery thesis is real but priced:

The auto/industrial recovery is real, but the market has already priced it: the stock is up 163% from the low and fwd P/E is 21.7x on consensus that requires $4.99 EPS delivery — a 239% jump from FY2025 actuals.


5. Competitive Moat

Discrete/analog semiconductors are commoditized at the low end. DIOD competes with:

DIOD moat assessment:


6. Debt Level vs VSH Comparison

Metric DIOD VSH (comparable)
D/E 0.03x ~0.7x
Net debt -$308M (net cash) Net debt ~$600M
Current ratio 3.3x ~2.0x
P/B 1.2x (ann) ~0.8x
Trailing P/E 58.6x ~25x
Forward P/E 21.7x ~13x
Dividend yield 0% ~1.5%

DIOD has a cleaner balance sheet but is more expensive on every valuation metric vs VSH. The thesis "similar profile to VSH but smaller" is valid on the business side; on valuation, DIOD has rerated far more aggressively than VSH. If the auto/industrial recovery trade is the thesis, VSH is the better-valued expression of that same thesis.


7. Graham 7 Defensive Filters (shr-017 cyclical trap alert)

# Filter Value Verdict
1 Size (Rev>$1.5B or MktCap>$2B) Rev $1.48B, MktCap $5.0B PASS
2 Strong financial condition (CR≥2, LTD≤WC) CR 3.3x, Debt $96M vs WC $879M PASS
3 Earnings stability (10yr uninterrupted profits) Annual profits held but FY2024 EPS $0.95, Q1 2025 quarterly loss; EPS -87% from 2022 peak WARNING
4 Dividend record (20yr continuous) No dividend ever paid FAIL
5 Earnings growth (>33% over 10yr) 3yr EPS CAGR -41.7%, 5yr -5.4% — severe cycle downturn from $7.20 peak FAIL
6 P/E ≤15x (trailing) Trailing 58.6x, Forward 21.7x FAIL (both)
7 P/B ≤1.5x (or P/E × P/B ≤22.5) Ann P/B 1.22x OK, but P/E×P/B = 71x >> 22.5 FAIL

Score: 2 PASS, 1 WARNING, 4 FAIL

shr-017 cyclical trap flag: Like Maersk, DIOD scores attractively on balance sheet (filters 1-2) but is a cyclical coming OFF a peak earnings year (FY2022) with trailing metrics utterly unrepresentative of current earnings power. Unlike Maersk, DIOD is in a legitimate recovery — but the market has already priced it.


8. Graham Intrinsic Value Sensitivity Table

Trailing EPS ($1.85 TTM) — Graham Formula: V = EPS × (8.5 + 2g)

Growth g Graham IV Current Price Margin of Safety
0% $15.73 $108.40 -85.5%
3% $26.83 $108.40 -75.3%
5% $34.23 $108.40 -68.4%
7.5% $43.48 $108.40 -59.9%
10% $52.73 $108.40 -51.4%

Forward EPS ($4.99 FY2026E consensus) — Graham Formula: V = EPS × (8.5 + 2g)

Growth g Graham IV Current Price Margin of Safety
0% $42.41 $108.40 -60.9%
3% $72.36 $108.40 -33.3%
5% $92.31 $108.40 -14.8%
7.5% $117.27 $108.40 +8.2%
10% $142.22 $108.40 +31.2%

Implied growth rate (shr-003):

Interpretation: On trailing EPS, the stock requires negative margin of safety at ALL growth rates — it is wholly uninvestable on trailing metrics. On forward EPS ($4.99), the stock is fairly valued only if DIOD can sustain 7.5%+ long-term growth AFTER delivering the FY2026 recovery. Given DIOD's 3yr revenue CAGR is -10% and it operates in commoditized discrete/analog, sustaining 7.5%+ long-term EPS growth from a recovered base is optimistic. The break-even scenario requires both (a) FY2026 consensus delivery AND (b) structural growth acceleration — neither is secured.


9. Insider Activity (shr-002)

Last 6 months (Nov 2025 – May 2026): PURE SELL signal

Type Count Gross Value
Open-market PURCHASES (P) 0 $0
Open-market SALES (S) 26 $189.9M
Grants/Awards (A) 18 n/a
Tax withholding (F) 9 n/a

Key sellers:

This is systematic multi-C-suite selling (CEO + CFO + EVP + Chairman) across the entire price range from $47 to $110. Per shr-002, this is the strongest category of bearish insider signal — not options exercise, not grants, but open-market sales of owned stock. Zero purchases against ~$190M in sales. The CEO and CFO are selling aggressively into the rally at every level.


10. shr-020 Red Flag Checklist

Category Signal Color
Recent price action +163% in 5 months from 52w low; -8% from all-time area RED
Valuation vs thesis Fwd P/E 21.7x (thesis was "sub-15x") — thesis invalidated RED
Graham IV (trailing) -85% to -51% MOS across all growth scenarios RED
Graham IV (forward) Only positive at g≥7.5% — requires consensus delivery + growth RED
Insider activity $190M in C-suite selling, ZERO buys, CEO+CFO+EVP all selling RED
Earnings quality Margins severely compressed; trailing EPS $1.85 vs $7.20 peak RED
Analyst coverage Only 2 analysts (thin); both Buy post-rally; PT mean $129.50 AMBER
Balance sheet Net cash $308M, CR 3.3x, D/E 0.03x GREEN
Earnings recovery Q1 2026 beat +27%, Q2 guide above est; real recovery underway GREEN
Graham filters 2 PASS, 1 WARNING, 4 FAIL RED
Leadership risk Long-serving Chairman (24yr) just retired May 2026 AMBER
Competitive position Commoditized discrete/analog; limited pricing power AMBER

RED count: 6 | AMBER count: 3 | GREEN count: 2


Verdict

VERDICT LINE: RED — DO NOT BUY. The sub-15x fwd P/E thesis has fully expired. DIOD is now 21.7x forward on consensus earnings that require a 239% EPS recovery in one year, with $190M of systematic insider selling by the CEO, CFO, and EVP at current prices. Graham IV is negative at all reasonable growth rates on trailing EPS and requires 7.5%+ perpetual growth on forward EPS. The balance sheet is pristine (the one genuine positive), but that's already reflected in the rerating. If the auto/industrial recovery is the trade, VSH remains a relatively better-valued expression of the same thesis at lower P/E and P/B. Monitor for re-entry if the stock pulls back to $60–70 range (forward P/E ~12–14x) after a FY2026 earnings delivery season, with insider selling abating — that is the entry thesis, not today.


Screen data sources: yfinance (price, financials, history), Finnhub API (profile, metrics, insiders, news). Data as of 2026-05-28.