STMicroelectronics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:STM)

STMicroelectronics N.V. (NYSE:STM) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 7,561 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 44% compared to the typical volume of 5,248 call options.

Institutional Trading of STMicroelectronics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STM. Abound Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of STMicroelectronics during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of STMicroelectronics by 3,746.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 3,086.5% in the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,179 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in STMicroelectronics by 248.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,303 shares of the semiconductor producer’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in STMicroelectronics during the third quarter valued at $52,000. 5.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STMicroelectronics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STM traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $33.68. 2,012,298 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,260,405. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.43, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.25 billion, a PE ratio of 187.25 and a beta of 1.55. STMicroelectronics has a 52-week low of $17.25 and a 52-week high of $35.07.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The semiconductor producer reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. STMicroelectronics had a return on equity of 2.70% and a net margin of 1.41%. Equities research analysts anticipate that STMicroelectronics will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on STM. Mizuho set a $28.00 target price on STMicroelectronics in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on STMicroelectronics from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of STMicroelectronics from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.93.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global semiconductor company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, formed through the 1987 merger of SGS Microelettronica and Thomson Semiconducteurs. The company designs, develops and manufactures a broad range of semiconductor products and solutions that serve multiple end markets worldwide. ST’s offerings span from basic components to integrated systems, emphasizing energy-efficient and high-performance devices for modern electronics.

Product categories include microcontrollers (notably the widely used STM32 family), analog and mixed-signal ICs, power MOSFETs and power-management devices, MEMS and sensors, image sensors, and discrete semiconductors.