STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $24.41, but opened at $25.58. STMicroelectronics shares last traded at $25.81, with a volume of 1,536,238 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on STM shares. Craig Hallum cut their target price on shares of STMicroelectronics from $42.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of STMicroelectronics from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $33.00 to $26.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of STMicroelectronics in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $28.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on STMicroelectronics from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen cut STMicroelectronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $32.00 to $25.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $31.26.

STMicroelectronics Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.61, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.67 and a 200 day moving average of $26.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 3.11 and a quick ratio of 2.37.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.02. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 8.92% and a net margin of 11.74%. On average, equities analysts predict that STMicroelectronics will post 0.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STMicroelectronics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. STMicroelectronics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in STMicroelectronics by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 292,924 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $7,314,000 after buying an additional 30,413 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in STMicroelectronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,108,000. GTS Securities LLC grew its position in STMicroelectronics by 213.2% in the fourth quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 36,276 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $906,000 after buying an additional 68,320 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in STMicroelectronics by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 15,156 shares of the semiconductor producer's stock worth $378,000 after buying an additional 2,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Novem Group acquired a new position in STMicroelectronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $492,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.05% of the company's stock.

STMicroelectronics Company Profile

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.