Natixis Advisors L.P. Raises Stake in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lifted its position in shares of STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 141,674 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock after buying an additional 11,739 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in STMicroelectronics were worth $7,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STM. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 548.4% in the third quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 590 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 112.7% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 689 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in STMicroelectronics in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 125.0% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 720 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new stake in STMicroelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STMicroelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Craig Hallum reduced their price target on shares of STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of STMicroelectronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Four equities 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.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.75.

STMicroelectronics Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE STM opened at $40.34 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.38. STMicroelectronics has a 52 week low of $37.21 and a 52 week high of $55.85. The company has a current ratio of 3.34, a quick ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.34, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.66.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.05). STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 22.95% and a net margin of 22.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that STMicroelectronics will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STMicroelectronics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is a boost from STMicroelectronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 25th. STMicroelectronics’s payout ratio is presently 5.13%.

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.