United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The semiconductor company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.01, Zacks reports. United Microelectronics had a return on equity of 11.18% and a net margin of 17.08%.United Microelectronics’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from United Microelectronics’ conference call:

• Q4 results beat guidance with revenue of TWD 61.81 billion, a 30.7% gross margin and net income attributable to shareholders of TWD 10.06 billion, while cash remained above TWD 110 billion and utilization was ~78%.
• Q1‑2026 guidance is conservative — wafer shipments flat, ASPs “firm” but gross margin guided to the high‑20% range and utilization to mid‑70% — signaling near‑term margin pressure.
• 22 nm and 28 nm continue to drive product‑mix improvement (combined ~36% of revenue), with 22 nm tape‑outs accelerating and management expecting this to support stronger pricing and growth in 2026.
• UMC is scaling strategic initiatives — Phase 3 at Singapore Fab 12i completed, a 12nm collaboration with Intel advancing toward 2027 tape‑outs, and active push into advanced packaging and silicon photonics (PDK work with imec and 12″ PIC ramps planned).
• Capital plan is modestly down to $1.5 billion for 2026 but capacity growth is limited (~1.2% y/y) while depreciation is expected to rise by the low‑teens percentage, which will weigh on margins this year.

United Microelectronics Trading Down 8.5%

Shares of UMC traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $11.42. The stock had a trading volume of 6,224,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,775,190. The firm has a market cap of $28.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 1.08. United Microelectronics has a 12-month low of $5.66 and a 12-month high of $12.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 2.34. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.60.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America cut United Microelectronics from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of United Microelectronics in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Microelectronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Microelectronics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Microelectronics during the third quarter worth approximately $198,000. Lido Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Microelectronics during the third quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of United Microelectronics by 64.2% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 26,962 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 10,545 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in United Microelectronics by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,388,868 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $56,008,000 after purchasing an additional 344,416 shares during the period. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in United Microelectronics in the third quarter valued at $2,160,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

About United Microelectronics

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) is a Taiwan-based semiconductor foundry that provides wafer fabrication and related manufacturing services to a global customer base. Founded in 1980, the company operates as a pure-play foundry, producing integrated circuits for a range of customers including fabless semiconductor companies and integrated device manufacturers. UMC is publicly listed (NYSE: UMC) and focuses on high-reliability manufacturing rather than branding consumer products.

UMC’s core services encompass wafer fabrication using a portfolio of process technologies, with particular emphasis on mature and specialty nodes that support analog, power-management, radio-frequency (RF), and mixed-signal applications.