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

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Craig Hallum dropped their price target on STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research report on Monday, April 8th. HSBC initiated coverage on STMicroelectronics in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Berenberg Bank raised STMicroelectronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research note on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STMicroelectronics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.75.

STMicroelectronics Price Performance

Shares of STMicroelectronics stock traded down $1.27 on Friday, hitting $41.34. 3,775,997 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,651,137. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.69. 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 has a 52 week low of $37.21 and a 52 week high of $55.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.56.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. STMicroelectronics had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 27.70%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that STMicroelectronics will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in STMicroelectronics by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,735,524 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $187,262,000 after purchasing an additional 448,978 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its position in STMicroelectronics by 337.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 510,834 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $25,561,000 after purchasing an additional 394,147 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in STMicroelectronics by 92.1% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 643,578 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $27,777,000 after purchasing an additional 308,494 shares in the last quarter. Grand Alliance Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in STMicroelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $14,036,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in STMicroelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $11,500,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.05% of the company's stock.

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.

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