Short Interest in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) Decreases By 15.6%

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 26,000,000 shares, a drop of 15.6% from the August 31st total of 30,820,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 16,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of NYSE TSM traded down $8.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $177.97. 17,908,399 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,557,987. The company has a market capitalization of $923.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.14. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has a 52-week low of $84.95 and a 52-week high of $193.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $167.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.28.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The semiconductor company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.11. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 37.85% and a return on equity of 25.54%. The business had revenue of $20.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 34.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be given a $0.4871 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This is a boost from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TSM. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the first quarter worth $27,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the second quarter worth $27,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 670.4% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 208 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. 16.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $130.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $168.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $200.00.

About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

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.