United Microelectronics Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:UMC)

United Microelectronics Co. (NYSE:UMC) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors purchased 14,140 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 600% compared to the typical volume of 2,019 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in United Microelectronics in the third quarter worth about $333,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of United Microelectronics by 90.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 237,027 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 112,624 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Microelectronics by 192.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 300,738 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,532,000 after purchasing an additional 197,998 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of United Microelectronics by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,186,187 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,988,000 after purchasing an additional 168,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in United Microelectronics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $146,000. 5.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Microelectronics Trading Up 9.4 %

NYSE:UMC opened at $7.16 on Tuesday. United Microelectronics has a 52 week low of $5.61 and a 52 week high of $9.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $17.95 billion, a PE ratio of 12.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50 day moving average is $6.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.92.

United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The semiconductor company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.03). United Microelectronics had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 20.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Microelectronics will post 0.51 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Citigroup raised shares of United Microelectronics from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $7.40.

United Microelectronics Company Profile

United Microelectronics Corporation operates as a semiconductor wafer foundry in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company provides circuit design, mask tooling, wafer fabrication, and assembly and testing services. It serves fabless design companies and integrated device manufacturers.