Analyst Ratings February 6, 2026

Piper Sandler Cuts Impinj Target to $180 Citing Logistics Customer Inventory Buildup

Analysts trim valuations after mixed results and weak March 2026 guidance as custom chip ramp must clear older M800 inventory

By Avery Klein PI
Piper Sandler Cuts Impinj Target to $180 Citing Logistics Customer Inventory Buildup
PI

Piper Sandler reduced its price target for Impinj Inc. to $180 from $230 while retaining an Overweight rating following mixed quarterly results and a logistics-customer inventory overhang. The firm flagged roughly two weeks of excess inventory at a second logistics customer and said a ramp of a custom chip will need to drive depletion of the older M800 units. Other brokerages have also revised their views after the company provided March 2026 guidance below expectations.

Key Points

  • Piper Sandler cut Impinj’s price target to $180 from $230 but kept an Overweight rating, citing an inventory buildup at a logistics customer.
  • Impinj met December 2025 quarter estimates but missed March 2026 quarter guidance; management expects to resolve the inventory issue in Q1 2026.
  • Other brokers reacted with downgrades or lower targets: Evercore ISI moved to In Line with a $112 target; Cantor Fitzgerald lowered its target to $170 while keeping Overweight.

Investment bank Piper Sandler has lowered its target price for Impinj Inc (NASDAQ:PI) to $180.00 from $230.00, while keeping an Overweight rating on the company. The firm’s adjustment arrives against a backdrop in which Impinj shares were trading at $119.42, down from a previous close of $152.22.

Piper Sandler said the revision followed the company’s mixed financial results. Impinj met estimates for the December 2025 quarter but notably missed guidance for the March 2026 quarter. The research team attributed the guidance miss in part to an inventory excess at one of Impinj’s logistics customers.

The analyst note describes the inventory situation as "likely two weeks of inventory excess" at the second logistics customer. Impinj is developing and shipping a custom chip for that customer, and Piper Sandler said adoption of that custom device is expected to continue through most of 2026. The firm emphasized that the custom chip ramp will need to generate demand sufficient to deplete the customer’s stock of the older M800 chip.

Alongside the logistics-related inventory issue, Piper Sandler observed product mix trends in the customer base. The research firm reported soft trends in apparel and modest trends in food segments.

Company management has signaled a commitment to addressing the inventory imbalance in the first quarter of 2026. Piper Sandler built its new $180 price objective using a 16.5x multiple on calendar-year 2026 estimated price-to-sales and an estimated CY26 revenue base of $354 million. That multiple is down from the prior 17.5x multiple, reflecting lower estimates.

Impinj’s most recent reported results for the fourth quarter of 2025 showed earnings per share of $0.50, in line with analysts’ expectations, and revenue of $92.8 million, slightly ahead of the $91.82 million consensus figure.

Market reaction among other brokerages has been mixed. Evercore ISI downgraded Impinj from Outperform to In Line and cut its price target dramatically to $112 from $273, citing growth concerns after the company’s March 2026 quarter outlook. According to Evercore ISI’s note referenced by market reports, that outlook projected revenues roughly 20% below Street expectations.

Cantor Fitzgerald also reduced its valuation on Impinj, trimming its price target to $170 from $246 while maintaining an Overweight stance. Cantor Fitzgerald pointed to the company’s first-quarter guidance, which the firm said fell short of analyst and consensus expectations.

Taken together, the analyst moves underscore differing interpretations across the sell side about how transitory the logistics-customer inventory issue will be and how quickly the custom-chip ramp will translate into replacement demand for older M800 inventory. Impinj’s reported gross profit margin remains healthy on the reported figures and its liquid assets were said to exceed short-term obligations at the time of the reports.


Context and next steps

Management has indicated it will work through the inventory excess during the first quarter of 2026. Analysts and investors will be watching subsequent updates on customer uptake of the custom chip and whether depletion of M800 inventories proceeds on the timetable implied by company commentary.

Risks

  • Inventory overhang at a logistics customer could delay revenue recognition and pressure near-term growth - this affects semiconductor suppliers and logistics-related retail segments.
  • March 2026 guidance was materially below Street estimates, with one analyst group indicating roughly 20% lower revenues, creating forecast uncertainty for investors and analysts covering the semiconductor and IoT tracking sectors.
  • Recovery depends on successful adoption of a custom chip to replace older M800 units; slower ramp or weaker end-market demand in apparel or food could extend the inventory correction period.

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