STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) Stock Position Raised by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel raised its position in shares of STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,551 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in STMicroelectronics were worth $479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in STM. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 2,911.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 134,004 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $6,012,000 after purchasing an additional 129,554 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STMicroelectronics by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,530,155 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $152,573,000 after acquiring an additional 318,347 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC acquired a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics during the 1st quarter valued at about $579,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of STMicroelectronics by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 349,772 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $15,117,000 after acquiring an additional 2,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of STMicroelectronics by 105.8% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 5,672 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 103,964 shares during the last quarter. 5.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STMicroelectronics Stock Performance

STM opened at $39.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $44.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.68. The company has a quick ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. STMicroelectronics has a 12-month low of $37.21 and a 12-month high of $55.85.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 27.70% and a net margin of 24.36%. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that STMicroelectronics will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

STMicroelectronics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 25th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 25th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. This is a positive change from STMicroelectronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. STMicroelectronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered STMicroelectronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Craig Hallum lowered their price objective on STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. HSBC assumed coverage on STMicroelectronics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of STMicroelectronics in a report on Monday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STMicroelectronics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.75.

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.