Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN is showing that its improving business momentum is translating into stronger cash generation, raising the question of whether bigger shareholder payouts could follow. The company returned $5.8 billion to shareholders over the past 12 months through dividends and share repurchases.
Texas Instruments’ robust cash flow generation ability is aiding its aggressive shareholder return policy. TXN generated $6.5 billion of free cash flow (FCF) over the trailing 12 months, up sharply from $1.8 billion a year earlier. FCF represented 33.6% of revenues compared with 10.6% in the prior-year period. Operating cash flow also climbed 35% to $8.7 billion.
Improving business conditions should provide further support for share buybacks and dividend payments. Second-quarter revenues jumped 23% year over year to $5.46 billion, while operating profit surged 48%.
A decline in capital expenditure is also anticipated to help Texas Instruments boost shareholders’ returns. Over the past few years, TXN invested aggressively in new 300-millimeter wafer fabrication plants and assembly and test facilities to expand internal manufacturing capacity. In 2025, capital expenditures totaled approximately $4.55 billion.
The spending pace is now easing. In the first half of 2026, Texas Instruments’ capital expenditures were $676 million, significantly down from $1.31 billion in the same period of last year. Management expects 2026 capital expenditures to be between $2 billion and $3 billion, about a 34% to 56% reduction from the 2025 level. This shift could significantly improve the company’s FCF and strengthen its ability to return more capital to shareholders.
Texas Instruments is benefiting from broadening demand across industrial, data center and automotive markets, while its analog and embedded processing franchises support durable long-term growth. With these key growth catalysts, TXN appears increasingly capable of enhancing shareholder returns. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TXN’s 2026 revenues is pegged at $21.7 billion, indicating a 22.7% year-over-year increase.
TXN’s Rivals With Strong Cash Returns: ADI and ON
Analog Devices, Inc.ADI is a close rival to Texas Instruments in analog chips and offers a strong shareholder-return profile. During second-quarter 2026 results, Analog Devices revealed that it generated FCF of $4.6 billion in the trailing 12 months, equal to 36% of revenues, and returned $5 billion to shareholders. Analog Devices also maintains a long record of dividend growth, supporting its appeal to income-focused investors.
ON Semiconductor CorporationON is another relevant competitor, particularly in power and automotive semiconductors. During second-quarter 2026 results, ON Semiconductor disclosed that it generated $1.5 billion in FCF. The company repurchased $1.5 billion of stock during the period, bringing shareholder returns to roughly 100% of FCF in the trailing 12 months. ON Semiconductor’s AI data-center business is also expected to more than double in 2026, potentially strengthening future cash generation.
TXN’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of Texas Instruments have rallied 59.4% year to date compared with the Zacks Semiconductor - General industry’s 24% growth.
Texas Instruments YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, TXN trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 29.69, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 22.30.
Texas Instruments Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Texas Instruments’ 2026 and 2027 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of 54.5% and 17.3%, respectively. Estimates for 2026 and 2027 have been revised upward over the past seven days.
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