Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $286,000 Investment in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM)

Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 5,696 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,500,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA acquired a new stake in shares of STMicroelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,238 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,701 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STMicroelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $180,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

STMicroelectronics Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of STM stock opened at $41.08 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.76. STMicroelectronics has a fifty-two week low of $37.21 and a fifty-two week high of $55.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The semiconductor producer reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.19. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 27.70% and a net margin of 24.36%. The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that STMicroelectronics will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STMicroelectronics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 25th will be given a $0.09 dividend. This is a positive change from STMicroelectronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 25th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. STMicroelectronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered STMicroelectronics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of STMicroelectronics in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Craig Hallum dropped their target price on STMicroelectronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on STMicroelectronics in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.75.

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.