Investors Buy Large Volume of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Call Options (NYSE:TSM)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders purchased 284,689 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 94% compared to the average volume of 146,818 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the second quarter worth $250,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 55.6% in the second quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,164 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,991 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance grew its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 31.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 16,976 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,951,000 after purchasing an additional 4,080 shares in the last quarter. Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd increased its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 318.6% during the 2nd quarter. Central Asset Investments & Management Holdings HK Ltd now owns 120,768 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $20,991,000 after purchasing an additional 91,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lingotto Investment Management LLP raised its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 37.0% in the 2nd quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 185,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $32,155,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the company’s stock.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Price Performance

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stock traded up $8.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $215.38. The company had a trading volume of 29,314,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,081,182. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $197.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.79. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has a 1 year low of $100.00 and a 1 year high of $222.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 2.30. The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.07.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.08. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a return on equity of 27.44% and a net margin of 39.10%. On average, equities analysts predict that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.5484 per share. This represents a $2.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This is an increase from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s payout ratio is 30.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 17th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, October 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.00.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Profile

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others.