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STMicroelectronics (STM) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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STMicroelectronics (STM - Free Report) closed at $42.73 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.02% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.4% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.13%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.45%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the chip company had lost 7.71% over the past month. This has lagged the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 1.45% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.38% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from STMicroelectronics as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.07, down 7.76% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $4.33 billion, up 0.12% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $4.29 per share and revenue of $17.33 billion. These totals would mark changes of +2.39% and +7.44%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for STMicroelectronics should also be noted by investors. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. STMicroelectronics is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, STMicroelectronics is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 9.96. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 18.24, which means STMicroelectronics is trading at a discount to the group.

Also, we should mention that STM has a PEG ratio of 1.99. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Semiconductor - General industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.62 as of yesterday's close.

The Semiconductor - General industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 84, putting it in the top 34% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


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