Ariel Investments LLC Cuts Holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)

Ariel Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM - Free Report) by 43.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,638 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 62,194 shares during the period. Ariel Investments LLC's holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $15,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $212.00.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TSM traded up $6.49 during trading on Friday, hitting $179.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,671,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,862,342. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 2.30. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited has a 12 month low of $133.57 and a 12 month high of $226.40. The firm has a market cap of $929.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $166.42 and a 200-day moving average of $188.37.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The semiconductor company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $25.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $834.10 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 40.51% and a return on equity of 30.47%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be paid a $0.6855 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 12th. This represents a $2.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. This is an increase from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.76%.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Profile

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others.