STMicroelectronics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:STM)

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 5,152 call options on the company. This is an increase of 30% compared to the average volume of 3,975 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STMicroelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 225.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,329 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in STMicroelectronics by 139.6% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,862 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,085 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 197.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,779 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in STMicroelectronics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. 5.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on STM shares. Dbs Bank cut STMicroelectronics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley raised STMicroelectronics from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded STMicroelectronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on STMicroelectronics from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of STMicroelectronics in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.97.

STMicroelectronics Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:STM traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.46. 5,552,415 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,884,668. The business's 50-day moving average price is $23.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.26. STMicroelectronics has a 12 month low of $17.25 and a 12 month high of $45.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 2.37 and a current ratio of 3.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.56.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.02. STMicroelectronics had a net margin of 11.74% and a return on equity of 8.92%. The business had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. Analysts predict that STMicroelectronics will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current year.

STMicroelectronics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 24th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 24th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. STMicroelectronics's dividend payout ratio is 25.42%.

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.