Grunden Financial Advisory Inc. Invests $210,000 in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM)

Grunden Financial Advisory Inc. bought a new position in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,190 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000. STMicroelectronics makes up approximately 0.1% of Grunden Financial Advisory Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STM. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 548.4% in the 3rd quarter. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. now owns 590 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 112.7% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 689 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 125.0% in the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 720 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA purchased a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on STM shares. Craig Hallum decreased their target price on STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com cut STMicroelectronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. HSBC started coverage on STMicroelectronics in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of STMicroelectronics in a report on Monday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.75.

STMicroelectronics Price Performance

Shares of STM stock traded down $0.74 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $39.59. The stock had a trading volume of 4,008,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,576,476. STMicroelectronics has a one year low of $37.21 and a one year high of $55.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $44.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.69.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.19. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 27.70% and a net margin of 24.36%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that STMicroelectronics will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

STMicroelectronics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. This is a boost from STMicroelectronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 25th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. STMicroelectronics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.48%.

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.