Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Makes New $262,000 Investment in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,230 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SFE Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of STMicroelectronics by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 9,551 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 7,579 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,701 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in STMicroelectronics by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,335 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 1.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 20,203 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

STMicroelectronics Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:STM opened at $40.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.34, a quick ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. STMicroelectronics has a 1-year low of $37.21 and a 1-year high of $55.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $42.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.38.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. STMicroelectronics had a net margin of 22.30% and a return on equity of 22.95%. The business’s revenue was down 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that STMicroelectronics will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

STMicroelectronics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 25th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a boost from STMicroelectronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 25th. STMicroelectronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of STMicroelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Craig Hallum lowered their target price on STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Berenberg Bank raised STMicroelectronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, HSBC began coverage on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.75.

STMicroelectronics Profile

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.