Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 2,074,329 Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) by 32.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,498,063 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,074,329 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing worth $1,678,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 16.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Price Performance

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stock opened at $165.82 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $192.35 and its 200-day moving average is $192.71. The company has a market capitalization of $860.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.55, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.13. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited has a 12 month low of $125.78 and a 12 month high of $226.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) last released its earnings results 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 30.47% and a net margin of 40.51%. Equities research analysts expect that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 9.2 EPS for the current year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 12th will be given a $0.6855 dividend. This represents a $2.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 12th. This is a boost from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s payout ratio is currently 30.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.00.

About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

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.