STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.26.

STM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered STMicroelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $32.00 to $25.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded STMicroelectronics from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $33.00 to $26.00 in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on STMicroelectronics in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of STMicroelectronics from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd.

STMicroelectronics Stock Performance

Shares of STM opened at $22.29 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.37 and a current ratio of 3.11. STMicroelectronics has a 1 year low of $21.36 and a 1 year high of $49.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.42, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.51.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. STMicroelectronics had a net margin of 11.74% and a return on equity of 8.92%. On average, analysts predict that STMicroelectronics will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STMicroelectronics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. STMicroelectronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.67%.

Institutional Trading of STMicroelectronics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STM. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in STMicroelectronics by 225.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 19,648 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,788 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 54.9% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 67,969 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $1,697,000 after purchasing an additional 24,096 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $260,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at $348,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics N.V., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through Automotive and Discrete Group; Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group; and Microcontrollers and Digital ICs Group segments.