Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) Shares Gap Up - Here's Why

Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $206.35, but opened at $218.57. Broadcom shares last traded at $218.29, with a volume of 8,081,751 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AVGO. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Broadcom from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $255.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Broadcom in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Hsbc Global Res raised Broadcom to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Broadcom from $265.00 to $246.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Broadcom from $200.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Broadcom currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.04.

Broadcom Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $211.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.27. The company has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 175.98, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 12th. The semiconductor manufacturer reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.03. Broadcom had a return on equity of 28.00% and a net margin of 11.43%. The company had revenue of $14.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 51.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Broadcom Inc. will post 5.38 EPS for the current year.

Broadcom Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This is a boost from Broadcom's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 23rd. Broadcom's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 192.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Diane M. Bryant sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.68, for a total value of $3,400,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,460 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,464,352.80. This trade represents a 69.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Harry L. You sold 6,540 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $1,569,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,308,000. This represents a 17.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 191,278 shares of company stock valued at $44,964,800. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of Broadcom by 21.5% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 20,955 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock valued at $4,858,000 after purchasing an additional 3,707 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Broadcom during the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Broadcom by 829.8% during the 3rd quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,950 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $1,371,000 after purchasing an additional 7,095 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Broadcom by 943.3% in the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 20,136 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $3,473,000 after buying an additional 18,206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motive Wealth Advisors increased its position in shares of Broadcom by 1,076.5% in the fourth quarter. Motive Wealth Advisors now owns 4,600 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock valued at $1,066,000 after acquiring an additional 4,209 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.43% of the company's stock.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Inc designs, develops, and supplies various semiconductor devices with a focus on complex digital and mixed signal complementary metal oxide semiconductor based devices and analog III-V based products worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Semiconductor Solutions and Infrastructure Software.

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