StockNews.com Lowers STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) to Hold

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of STMicroelectronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of STMicroelectronics in a report on Friday. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of STMicroelectronics in a report on Monday, April 8th. Craig Hallum lowered their target price on shares of STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of STMicroelectronics in a 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 MarketBeat.com, STMicroelectronics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.75.

STMicroelectronics Stock Performance

NYSE:STM traded down $1.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $41.34. The stock had a trading volume of 3,775,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,651,137. STMicroelectronics has a twelve month low of $37.21 and a twelve month high of $55.85. The stock has a market cap of $37.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.27, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.69. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.44 and a current ratio of 3.17.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 27.70% and a net margin of 24.36%. The company’s revenue was down 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that STMicroelectronics will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STMicroelectronics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STM. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in STMicroelectronics in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in STMicroelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in 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 period. 5.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

STMicroelectronics Company 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.