Wolfspeed forecasts weak first-quarter revenue on manufacturing issues

(Reuters) - Wolfspeed forecast first-quarter revenue below estimates on Wednesday, anticipating manufacturing issues that could affect its production capacity amid slowing EV sales.

Shares of the chipmaker, however, surged around 6% in extended trading, as CEO Gregg Lowe said the company continues to see strong growth from its Mohawk Valley, New York-based chip fabrication facility.

In June, Wolfspeed had said it faced issues with equipment at its Durham-based 150-mm chip fabrication plant and which could potentially impact its first-quarter revenue by about $20 million.

Meanwhile, Wolfspeed's Mohawk Valley chip fabrication plant is targeted to reach 25% of its operating capacity in the first quarter, ahead of schedule.

"Our 200mm device fab is currently producing solid results ... This improved profitability gives us the confidence to accelerate the shift of our device fabrication to Mohawk Valley," Lowe said in a statement.

Shares started to recover as the market acknowledged the cost benefits of the new 200-mm Mohawk Valley fabrication unit, compared to the old 150-mm one, said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer, Running Point Capital.

The company counts General Motors and Mercedes-Benz among its customers and makes chips using silicon carbide, which is more energy-efficient material than standard silicon, for tasks such as transmitting power from an electric car's batteries to its motors.

Wolfspeed expects first-quarter revenue to be between $185 million and $215 million, the mid-point of which is below analysts' average estimate of $211.7 million, according to LSEG data.

It expects adjusted loss per share to be between $1.09 and $0.90, compared with estimate of loss of 84 cents per share.

Revenue for the fourth-quarter came in at $200.1 million, compared with average estimate of $201.2 million.

Wolfspeed's net loss per share was $1.39 per share, compared with loss of $0.73 per share a year earlier.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi)