NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on NXP Semiconductors from $295.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $275.00 to $271.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Argus raised their price objective on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $300.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NXP Semiconductors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.46.

NXP Semiconductors Stock Performance

Shares of NXPI stock traded down $7.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $254.40. The stock had a trading volume of 4,059,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,211,726. The firm has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $273.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 1.64. NXP Semiconductors has a fifty-two week low of $167.21 and a fifty-two week high of $296.08.

NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 22nd. The semiconductor provider reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.38. NXP Semiconductors had a net margin of 21.21% and a return on equity of 36.13%. The firm had revenue of $3.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that NXP Semiconductors will post 12.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kurt Sievers sold 8,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.75, for a total transaction of $2,357,111.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 177,889 shares in the company, valued at $49,052,891.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NXP Semiconductors

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NXPI. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in NXP Semiconductors in the 4th quarter valued at about $762,077,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its position in shares of NXP Semiconductors by 893.2% in the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,332,578 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $535,747,000 after acquiring an additional 2,097,727 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 17.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,921,432 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock valued at $3,201,543,000 after purchasing an additional 1,909,898 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado acquired a new position in NXP Semiconductors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $164,044,000. Finally, Kodai Capital Management LP purchased a new position in NXP Semiconductors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $125,319,000. 90.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors N.V. offers various semiconductor products. The company's product portfolio includes microcontrollers; application processors, including i.MX application processors, and i.MX 8 and 9 family of applications processors; communication processors; wireless connectivity solutions, such as near field communications, ultra-wideband, Bluetooth low-energy, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integrated SoCs; analog and interface devices; radio frequency power amplifiers; and security controllers, as well as semiconductor-based environmental and inertial sensors, including pressure, inertial, magnetic, and gyroscopic sensors.