ON Semiconductor (ON) Extends Rally on CEO Appointment

ON Semiconductor Corporation (ON) shares rose nearly 4% during Tuesday's session after KeyBanc, Piper Sandler, Needham, and Mizuho analysts reacted favorably to the incoming CEO Hassane El-Khoury.

KeyBanc analyst John Vinh believes that El-Khoury's prior success as CEO of Cypress Semiconductor makes him well suited to lead ON. In addition, the analyst notes that the company is already in a favorable position amid a broader recovery and its exposure to secular growth in auto, industrials, 5G infrastructure, and cloud computing.

At the same time, Needham analyst Rajvindra Gill maintained the firm's Strong Buy rating on ON stock and raised its price target to $38.00 per share, saying that El-Khoury successfully shifted Cypress Semiconductor's strategic focus to higher-end markets while divesting or under-investing in non-core areas – moves that he could replicate at ON.

From a technical standpoint, the stock broke out from upper trendline resistance to fresh highs following the bullish analyst calls. The relative strength index (RSI) moved further into overbought territory with a reading of 77.87, but the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) resumed its bullish trend higher. These indicators suggest that the stock could see some consolidation before experiencing a further move higher.

Traders should watch for consolidation above trendline support levels at $31.00 over the coming sessions. If the stock breaks down from those levels, traders could see a move toward trendline support at around $30.00 or Fibonacci support at $29.53. If the stock rebounds higher, traders could see a move to fresh highs toward higher analyst price targets.

The Bottom Line

ON Semiconductor shares moved sharply higher during Tuesday's session after analysts reacted to its new CEO appointment. Give El-Khoury's success at Cypress Semiconductor in the past, the analysts are hopeful that he will bring the same successes to ON. The stock moved into overbought territory following the move, but the long-term trend remains bullish.

The author holds no position in the stock(s) mentioned except through passively managed index funds.