(MRVL) Marvell Technology Group Fourth Quarter Looking Soft?

Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) is set to report its fourth quarter 2013 results on Feb 21. In the prior quarter, the company posted a 6.7% negative surprise. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this semiconductor chip maker. Growth Factors this Past Quarter Marvell’s third quarter 2013 revenues missed its own guidance and were 17.8% down from the year-ago quarter. The year-over-year decline was mainly due to the macro-economic slowdown and a lackluster PC market, which badly affected chip demand. Revenues from all the end markets decreased on a year-over-year basis. Higher commodity costs and an unfavorable product mix led to gross margin contraction. All these led Marvell to post earnings of 14 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Marvell provided a weak fourth-quarter revenue forecast