STM vs. UMC: STMicroelectronics vs. United Microelectronics Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC) are both classified in the Semiconductors sub-industry within the broader Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Both STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC) trade as ADRs — their core financials are comparable, but keep FX, depositary-program fees, and dividend withholding in view for each.

Company profile comparison for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Profile Item	STM	UMC
Name	STMicroelectronics N.V.	United Microelectronics Corp. ADR
Country/Region	Switzerland	Taiwan
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductors	Semiconductors
Market Capitalization	37.30 billion USD	34.73 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 8, 1994	September 19, 2000
Security Type	ADR	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

STM

UMC

GSPC

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
Total Return (1Y)	90.64%	102.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	4.24%	31.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.95%	11.51%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

STM

UMC

GSPC

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	62.24%	67.94%
Beta (5Y)	2.00	1.77
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-66.66%	-54.30%
Avg. Volume (3M)	9.18M	11.82M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

STM and UMC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.39	1.45
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.07	2.35

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both STMicroelectronics (STM) at 2.95% and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 20.37% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.95%

Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
STM: 2.95%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

20.37%

Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
UMC: 20.37%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

United Microelectronics (UMC) at 31.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of STMicroelectronics (STM) at 3.80%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.80%

Max: 63.80%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
STM: 3.80%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

31.95%

Max: 63.80%
UMC: 31.95%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both STMicroelectronics (STM) at 11.10% and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 25.09% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

11.10%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
STM: 11.10%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

25.09%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
UMC: 25.09%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
ROE (TTM)	2.95%	20.37%
ROA (TTM)	2.63%	5.79%
Net Margin (TTM)	3.80%	31.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.10%	25.09%
Gross Margin (TTM)	35.53%	31.72%

Growth

Revenue Growth

United Microelectronics (UMC) at 2.26% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while STMicroelectronics (STM) at -11.07% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

United Microelectronics (UMC) at -12.57% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while STMicroelectronics (STM) at -89.16% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-11.07%	2.26%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-9.89%	-5.19%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-89.16%	-12.57%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-66.39%	-21.92%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both STMicroelectronics (STM) at 3.13 and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 3.27 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.13

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
STM: 3.13
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.27

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
UMC: 3.27
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both STMicroelectronics (STM) at 0.19 and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 0.17 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.19

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
STM: 0.19
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.17

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
UMC: 0.17
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.13	3.27
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.19	0.17
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.63	-0.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

STMicroelectronics (STM) at 0.90% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; United Microelectronics (UMC) at 19.43% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.90%

Max: 1.37%
STM: 0.90%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

19.43%

UMC: 19.43%
Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and STM more so: United Microelectronics (UMC) at 37.46% sits above the band, while STMicroelectronics (STM) at 63.16% exceeds every peer in its group.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

63.16%

STM: 63.16%
Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

37.46%

Max: 49.64%
UMC: 37.46%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.90%	19.43%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	63.16%	37.46%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

United Microelectronics (UMC) at 13.07 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while STMicroelectronics (STM) at 73.19 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

73.19

Max: 110.34
STM: 73.19
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.07

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
UMC: 13.07
Min: 8.12

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both STMicroelectronics (STM) at 2.73 and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 0.13 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.73

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
STM: 2.73
Min: 0.00

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.13

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
UMC: 0.13
Min: 0.00

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

STMicroelectronics (STM) at 2.09 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while United Microelectronics (UMC) at 2.39 is valued near its industry’s middle — STM is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

STM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.09

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
STM: 2.09
Min: 0.20

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.39

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
UMC: 2.39
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

STMicroelectronics (STM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for STMicroelectronics (STM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Metric	STM	UMC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	73.19	13.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.73	0.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.09	2.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.29%	129.43%