Key Points
- Broadcom has performed exceptionally well as of late, surging to a market capitalization above $2 trillion.
- Amid this, reports have surfaced that the company is in talks to receive tens of billions in private credit funding.
- See what the report signals about Broadcom's outlook and what it could mean for the company's balance sheet.
- Special Report: These AI stocks could go to zero. Here's why.
Over the past several weeks, semiconductor giantBroadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) has entered rarified air, with its market capitalization eclipsing $2 trillion. Broadcom is now one of just six companies in the world in this territory, becoming more valuable than giants like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA).
Notably, shares fell below $300 in late March, a level not seen since September 2025. Broadcom has since rebounded mightily, closing at or above $430 multiple times in May. Overall, Broadcom shares are closing in on a 50% gain since March lows.
An interesting report recently surfaced around the firm, with potential implications that could be both positive and negative.
According to Bloomberg, the company is in discussions with two alternative asset management giants to receive billions in debt funding.
While this move signals confidence in Broadcom’s outlook for its artificial intelligence (AI) chips, it also raises questions, given the company’s already significant debt levels.
Broadcom, Blackstone, and Apollo: Private Credit Eyes AI Infrastructure
Asset management companies Blackstone (NYSE: BX) and Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO) are reportedly in talks with Broadcom to provide $35 billion in private credit funding. Details around the potential deal are minimal, but the funds would reportedly support Broadcom’s AI chip development roadmap.
From Broadcom’s perspective, this indicates that the company is highly confident in the demand for its chips going forward. $35 billion is no small sum; the agreement would be one of the largest private credit deals ever. It is unlikely that Broadcom would engage in the deal without strong multi-year visibility.
The report also signals confidence in Broadcom’s future from Blackstone and Apollo—lenders who surely want to recoup their principal with meaningful interest over time.
Broadcom’s Already Debt Sits Above $60B
Near the end of 2023, Broadcom acquired VMware in a deal worth $69 billion. The acquisition has been a clear success. Since VMware came onto Broadcom’s books in its fiscal Q1 2024, its quarterly infrastructure software revenue has increased from $4.75 billion to $6.78 billion. That is good for a strong compound annual growth rate of just under 20%. Broadcom has also significantly improved VMware’s margins, cutting costs while also increasing prices.
However, the deal also greatly increased Broadcom’s debt. Between its fiscal Q4 2023 and fiscal Q1 2024, Broadcom’s total debt nearly doubled from $39.6 billion to $75.9 billion. Notably, Broadcom has made solid headway in reducing its debt since then, with the figure falling by around 13% to $66.1 billion last quarter. Adding $35 billion in private credit financing could put its total debt near $100 billion, far greater than post-VMware heights.
Still, raw debt levels themselves don’t tell the full story of Broadcom’s solvency situation. One key metric of balance sheet health is the Net Debt to EBITDA ratio. This is also called the “Leverage Ratio."
Balance Sheet Breakdown: Broadcom’s Theoretical Leverage Ratio
Note that: Net Debt/EBITDA = (Total Debt – Cash) / (Quarterly EBITDA x 4)
With 66.1 billion in total debt, $14.2 billion in cash and equivalents, and fiscal Q1 EBITDA of $10.8 billion, Broadcom’s Net Debt/EBITDA ratio is roughly 1.2x. This is healthy. For reference, S&P Global recently evaluated the theoretical health of Texas Instruments' (NASDAQ: TXN) balance sheet after a proposed acquisition. S&P said Texas Instruments would have “a strong balance sheet with net debt to EBITDA comfortably below 1.5x following transaction close.”
Adding $35 billion in debt would shoot Broadcom’s figure up to 2x. While certainly more elevated, this is not particularly problematic. Leverage ratios below 3x are generally acceptable.
Furthermore, it’s unlikely that Broadcom would draw down this debt all at once. Additionally, as is common with private credit deals, a significant portion of the debt may never actually go on Broadcom’s balance sheet. Lastly, Broadcom is growing its EBITDA rapidly. Its last 12 months' EBITDA rose by 54.5% YOY as of last quarter. With strong growth expected to continue, its leverage ratio could improve quickly.
Broadcom Remains on Strong Footing
Overall, if Broadcom were to engage in this private credit deal, its balance sheet would still be in good shape. This makes the idea that Broadcom is considering the deal to pursue growth initiatives not overly worrisome.
Notably, Broadcom shares gained significantly, by around 4.2%, on the day Bloomberg released this report. However, chip stocks in general showed strength that day, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SOXX) rising more than 5%. At a minimum, this reaction indicates that markets did not view the report as a large negative for Broadcom, consistent with this analysis. Still, it will be worth watching how the market reacts should the deal actually materialize.
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