Chunghwa Telecom (NYSE:CHT) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Shares of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:CHT - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $46.33 and last traded at $46.15, with a volume of 284702 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $45.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Chunghwa Telecom from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th.

Chunghwa Telecom Stock Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average price is $42.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.94. The firm has a market cap of $35.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.85 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.63.

Chunghwa Telecom (NYSE:CHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $56.11 billion. Chunghwa Telecom had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 9.63%. Sell-side analysts expect that Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. will post 1.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chunghwa Telecom Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be given a $1.6695 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from Chunghwa Telecom's previous annual dividend of $1.47. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. Chunghwa Telecom's payout ratio is presently 75.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chunghwa Telecom

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Chunghwa Telecom by 617.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 33,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,250,000 after buying an additional 4,416 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 42,242 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,590,000 after buying an additional 6,826 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,588 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom during the 4th quarter worth approximately $266,000. Institutional investors own 2.11% of the company's stock.

Chunghwa Telecom Company Profile

Chunghwa Telecom Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Taiwan and internationally. It operates through Consumer Business, Enterprise Business, International Business, and Others segments. The company offers local, domestic long distance, and international long distance fixed-line telephone services; mobile services such as prepaid and postpaid plans; broadband plans; and internet and data services.