United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) Rating Lowered to Underperform at BNP Paribas Exane

United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $8.60 price target on the semiconductor company’s stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s price objective points to a potential downside of 18.60% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on UMC. Wall Street Zen lowered United Microelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of United Microelectronics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded United Microelectronics from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Microelectronics has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.60.

United Microelectronics Price Performance

Shares of UMC stock opened at $10.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market capitalization of $26.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.88 and a beta of 1.08. United Microelectronics has a twelve month low of $5.71 and a twelve month high of $12.68.

United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01. United Microelectronics had a net margin of 17.60% and a return on equity of 11.59%. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Microelectronics will post 0.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of United Microelectronics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UMC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Microelectronics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in United Microelectronics by 313.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,265 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 3,234 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Microelectronics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $77,000. MGO One Seven LLC acquired a new stake in United Microelectronics in the third quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Finally, Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Microelectronics during the third quarter valued at about $80,000. 5.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Microelectronics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting United Microelectronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results showed revenue growth and healthy margins: consolidated 4Q25 revenue rose to NT$61.81 billion (up vs. prior quarter and year) and gross margin was 30.7%, signaling underlying demand improvement. UMC Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: UMC reported EPS of $0.13 and revenue of $1.97B for the quarter, slightly beating consensus estimates — a short-term fundamental positive versus expectations. MarketBeat UMC Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s detailed discussion is in the Q4 2025 earnings call transcript; investors may hunt the call for guidance/comments that clarify forward demand and capacity outlook. UMC Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction was negative: headlines noted shares “tumbled” after the report despite the revenue beat, suggesting investors were disappointed by other elements (earnings detail, guidance, or tone). UMC shares tumble 10.7% as Q4 earnings miss estimates despite revenue beat
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts moved more pessimistic: BNP Paribas Exane downgraded UMC from “neutral” to “underperform” with an $8.60 price target (material downside to the current price), and JPMorgan reaffirmed an “underweight” stance — both weigh on sentiment and can pressure the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional media coverage framed the quarter as “mixed,” amplifying negative sentiment and likely contributing to selling pressure. United Microelectronics falls amid mixed Q4 results

United Microelectronics Company Profile

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) is a Taiwan-based semiconductor foundry that provides wafer fabrication and related manufacturing services to a global customer base. Founded in 1980, the company operates as a pure-play foundry, producing integrated circuits for a range of customers including fabless semiconductor companies and integrated device manufacturers. UMC is publicly listed (NYSE: UMC) and focuses on high-reliability manufacturing rather than branding consumer products.

UMC’s core services encompass wafer fabrication using a portfolio of process technologies, with particular emphasis on mature and specialty nodes that support analog, power-management, radio-frequency (RF), and mixed-signal applications.