Broadcom’s Big Outperformance Shows Strength Amid Tariff Decline

Broadcom stock is up by nearly 8% since Trump’s Liberation Day announcement. A breakdown of the company’s tariff exposure can help signal why.

By Leo Miller | Apr 10, 2025
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New Jersey, United States of America - February 5: Broadcom microchip semiconductor technology 鈥 Stock Editorial Photography

Amid all of the tariff-related volatility in the market,听 has fared better than many. Since Trump鈥檚 tariff announcement hit markets on Apr. 3, shares of Broadcom are up nearly 8% as of the Apr. 9 close.

This performance is impressive, considering the is down nearly 3% over that period. The is down 2%.

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However, Broadcom dropped over 10% on Apr. 3 in reaction to the Liberation Day announcement.

It dropped another 5% the next day as the Chinese announced reciprocal tariffs. Thus, markets clearly feel Broadcom has some tariff risk.

This comes even though Trump excluded semiconductors from his tariffs.听

The analysis below will break down Broadcom鈥檚 tariff exposure in two ways: direct and indirect exposure.

It will also examine why the stock has performed comparatively well.

Direct Tariff Implications: Semiconductor Exemption Provides Respite

Overall, because semiconductors are exempt from the tariffs, Broadcom鈥檚 direct exposure is somewhat minimal. However, tariffs on semiconductors could be coming. President Trump recently said that tariffs on chips will come 鈥溾. This would create a significant effect on Broadcom鈥檚 business. In 2024,听 came from China. Tariffs on these goods would hamper demand in the country.

However, at the moment, the direct impact of tariffs on Broadcom isn鈥檛 the main concern, especially with Trump softening his stance. He announced that听 will be exempt from the latest U.S. tariffs. This sent the market鈥攁nd Broadcom shares鈥攕oaring. It signals that Trump isn鈥檛 drawing a hard line in the sand and could ease his aggressive tariff policies. It also suggests he may walk back the idea of implementing chip tariffs.

Notably, tariffs haven鈥檛 been a big topic of conversation at Broadcom鈥檚 meetings with analysts. Since Aug. 2024, participants in the firm鈥檚 five earnings or conference calls have used the word 鈥渢ariffs鈥 a total of just three times.

Indirect Tariff Implications: Broadcom鈥檚 Bigger Problem

The indirect impact of tariffs is likely to be much more impactful on Broadcom. Imported products that contain Broadcom鈥檚 chips are subject to tariffs. The vast majority of chip manufacturing takes place in Asia, meaning that final products shipped to the U.S. will face higher costs.

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These higher costs will degrade demand for these products and thus the Broadcom chips inside them. This could affect both Broadcom鈥檚 AI chip and non-AI chip businesses. Both made up just under 28% of revenue last quarter.

Within non-AI chips, Broadcom has large exposure to , which uses its chips in its consumer devices. With tariffs expected to impact Apple sales and profits, Broadcom will likely also take a hit.

Broadcom鈥檚 AI servers could also be significantly impacted听by Asian manufacturing. Reports indicate that, in general,听and 30% come from Taiwan. Stacy Ragson of Bernstein Research does not expect the tariffs to affect those servers made in Mexico.

If Broadcom鈥檚 AI server manufacturing is similar to these figures, it could avoid a significant amount of tariffs on its AI business. It is important to note that the locations of companies making these servers for Broadcom are unknown. Actual figures could be significantly different.

Why Broadcom Has Performed Relatively Well in Bad Market Conditions

One likely reason that Broadcom shares have held up relatively well is that its AI customers are hyperscalers. These companies are cash-rich and view AI as massively important to their long-term goals. This means a big chunk of Broadcom鈥檚 sales has a chance to remain largely intact as these firms prioritize spending on AI.

Additionally, infrastructure software made up 45% of the firm鈥檚 revenue last quarter. This isn鈥檛 affected by current tariffs. However, companies could cut back on spending here to make up for higher costs in other areas.

Another factor that has been a boon to Broadcom shares is a big announcement it recently made. Broadcom after the market close on Apr. 7, a sign of Broadcom鈥檚 continued confidence in its business and ability to generate cash despite the uncertain macroeconomic environment ahead.

Overall, there is reason to believe that Broadcom has moderate insulation from tariffs. However, if tariffs lead to a recession, this would certainly be bad for business. It will be very interesting to see what management has to say about tariffs going forward.

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New Jersey, United States of America - February 5: Broadcom microchip semiconductor technology 鈥 Stock Editorial Photography

Amid all of the tariff-related volatility in the market,听 has fared better than many. Since Trump鈥檚 tariff announcement hit markets on Apr. 3, shares of Broadcom are up nearly 8% as of the Apr. 9 close.

This performance is impressive, considering the is down nearly 3% over that period. The is down 2%.

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