Short Interest in NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) Decreases By 16.5%

NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,570,000 shares, a decline of 16.5% from the February 28th total of 10,260,000 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,810,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NXPI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $231.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of NXP Semiconductors in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of NXP Semiconductors from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NXP Semiconductors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Andrew Micallef sold 1,000 shares of NXP Semiconductors stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.86, for a total transaction of $204,860.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,828 shares in the company, valued at $1,808,504.08. The trade was a 10.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NXP Semiconductors

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,695 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 1.4% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 19,014 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock valued at $4,564,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in NXP Semiconductors in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NXP Semiconductors in the 3rd quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in NXP Semiconductors by 0.4% in the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 12,498 shares of the semiconductor provider’s stock worth $3,000,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.54% of the company’s stock.

NXP Semiconductors Trading Down 8.9 %

NXPI traded down $17.15 on Thursday, hitting $176.52. 1,529,348 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,433,625. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $213.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $221.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.47. NXP Semiconductors has a 12 month low of $175.40 and a 12 month high of $296.08.

NXP Semiconductors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.014 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. This represents a $4.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. NXP Semiconductors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.62%.

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors N.V. offers various semiconductor products. The company's product portfolio includes microcontrollers; application processors, including i.MX application processors, and i.MX 8 and 9 family of applications processors; communication processors; wireless connectivity solutions, such as near field communications, ultra-wideband, Bluetooth low-energy, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integrated SoCs; analog and interface devices; radio frequency power amplifiers; and security controllers, as well as semiconductor-based environmental and inertial sensors, including pressure, inertial, magnetic, and gyroscopic sensors.