STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $17.55 and last traded at $18.47, with a volume of 9029170 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.49.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised STMicroelectronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley raised STMicroelectronics from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of STMicroelectronics from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $33.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America lowered shares of STMicroelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered STMicroelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.26.

STMicroelectronics Trading Up 2.0 %

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.54. 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 firm has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.56.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.02. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 8.92% and a net margin of 11.74%. On average, research analysts expect that STMicroelectronics will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STMicroelectronics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in STMicroelectronics by 131.5% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,413,356 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $85,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,939,088 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of STMicroelectronics by 576.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,920,774 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $47,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,636,707 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 3,330,616 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $83,165,000 after purchasing an additional 938,097 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in STMicroelectronics by 94.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,767,787 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $44,142,000 after buying an additional 858,624 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 4,475,384 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock valued at $111,750,000 after buying an additional 725,684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

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.