New York, Feb 20, 2026, 18:35 EST — Trading after the bell
- Broadcom shares slipped Friday, showing little movement in after-hours trading.
- On Thursday, the company rolled out a radio chip built for next-gen wireless gear—ready for 6G.
- Broadcom is set to scrap VMware’s lowest reseller tier in EMEA this May, according to a report.
Broadcom Inc. slipped 0.4% to finish Friday at $332.65, after swinging between $329.76 and $340.00. After-hours moves were muted. Volume landed around 17.6 million shares, trade data showed.
Even a slight decline was notable here. Broadcom sits right where two big-money themes cross: data-center chips for AI expansion and the VMware software segment, which Broadcom has been refashioning since its 2023 acquisition.
That’s why even subtle headlines carry weight. Investors are scanning for clues that might shift expectations before the next update—watching demand for networking silicon, and hunting for any sign VMware’s channel strategy is finding its footing.
Stocks in the U.S. closed out Friday on a positive note, the S&P 500 gaining 0.7% and the Nasdaq tacking on 0.9%, following a Supreme Court ruling that overturned former President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures, according to the Associated Press. Broadcom, however, lagged behind as the rally picked up late in the session.
Broadcom rolled out its BroadPeak radio digital front-end SoC on Thursday, targeting massive MIMO setups in modern cell towers. The company said the 5-nanometer chip combines DFE and data converters, covers 400 MHz to 8.5 GHz, and slashes power consumption by as much as 40% compared to current massive MIMO and remote radio head solutions. “The BroadPeak SoC integrates DFE and AFE with high-linearity data converters at 8.5 GHz, delivering up to 40% greater efficiency for next-generation base stations,” said Vijay Janapaty, vice president at Broadcom. Samples are already in the hands of early access partners and customers, according to Broadcom. GlobeNewswire
CRN on Friday reported Broadcom plans to scrap the lowest level of VMware’s reseller partner program in Europe, the Middle East and Africa by May 2026, pushing forward changes already seen in other regions. “The Registered tier will go away in May in EMEA,” said Laura Falko, who leads Broadcom-VMware’s global partner program, in comments to CRN. CRN
Chip names diverged this day, with Nvidia adding roughly 1%. Intel dropped 1.1%, and Broadcom edged 0.4% lower, according to MarketWatch data.
But the other side of that coin: wireless infrastructure cycles tend to drag, and actual 6G is still a ways out—even as vendors tout “6G-ready” gear. Software’s not immune either; stricter VMware partner rules risk stirring more resistance from smaller resellers and could make renewals trickier around the edges.
Monday brings another test for Broadcom: traders are eyeing whether the stock manages to track the broader market’s momentum or just lingers in the middle of the semiconductor group, with investors still processing Friday’s policy-driven shift.
AVGO’s next big moment lands on March 4. That’s when Broadcom will deliver its first-quarter fiscal 2026 results after the bell, with management jumping on a conference call later that afternoon.
