Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-27 · Permanent

United Micro Electronics ADR logoUnited Micro Electronics ADR UMC

Clears the common standard

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · United Microelectronics Corporation operates as a semiconductor wafer foundry in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the United States, Europe, and internationally.

The label
Markup

read at $19.08

United Micro Electronics ADR holds its Markup at $19.08.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-27
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 35 days
Price$19.08
Valuation31.28 trailing · 23.57 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 70.0
Beta1.57

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Read at
$19.08
31.28 P/E · 23.57 fwd
Our fair value
$9.54
50% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$10.08
-47% to current
Target low $7.40Analyst target rangeTarget high $37.42
▲ current $19.08 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$39.9$22.2$4.6TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$37.42 +98%Analyst avg$10.08 -47%Conservative$9.54 -49%Our fair value$9.54 -49%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$19.08
you are here
Conservative
$9.54
-50%
Analyst avg
$10.08
-47%
Our fair value
$9.54
-50%
Analyst high
$37.42
+96%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.

Revenue growth5.50%
Profit margin20.82%
Debt to equity18.69
Analyst consensusUnderperform · 4 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

It depends which standard you follow. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor, and on this company they disagree. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

Why the two disagree. They fall out over one thing only: the company’s debt. Our stricter standard measures that debt against what the company owns, and it works out too high to pass. The common standard measures the same debt against what the company is worth on the stock market, where it works out low enough to pass. Every other check, the two agree on. So in practice, most halal apps would treat this as fine to hold, while our stricter view would not — and which line you follow is between you and your scholar.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Against market value it is 142.6%, under the 30% line the market-value standard uses — so that standard clears it. Divergent
  • Interest-bearing cash Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. Fail
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. Fail
  • Revenue purity of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. Fail

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Taiwan foundry priced well above its cycle

Every time a phone or car rolls off the line it needs chips made on someone else's fab. United Microelectronics is one of those contract makers, yet the shares sit at $21.25 against our fair value of $10.62. That gap, plus a forward multiple of 26 times, tells us the market is paying up for a business that is only growing revenue at 6 percent a year.

The narrow moat and 13 percent return on equity do not justify the premium. Profit margins of 21 percent look solid today, but they sit inside a notoriously cyclical industry where earnings peaks rarely last. Four analysts already see the mismatch and cluster around a $10 target with an underperform rating.

Because the sector moves in sharp waves, a low multiple at the top of the cycle is usually a warning rather than a bargain. Here the multiple is not even low, so the margin of safety is negative. We pass.

Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E23.6x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E31.3x
a premium valuation
Revenue growth5.5%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin20.8%
healthy profit margins
Return on equity12.5%
a solid return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity0.19
minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet
Current ratio2.72
comfortably covers its short-term bills
Beta1.57
much more volatile than the market
Market cap$47.9B
Employees20,000

The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day; its business and earnings are exposed to Taiwan and to currency swings.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Latest news · what the market is reading on UMC

Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.

Related securities · others in UMC's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 113% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 154%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 37%. The street (4 analysts) rates it underperform, with a mean price target of $10. Entered 2026-07-18 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-18 Markup $21.63 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 113% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 154%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 37%. The street (4 analysts) rates it underperform, with a mean price target of $10.

2026-07-03 Markup $21.63 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $21.63 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $15.59 +21.1% · $1,211 +21.1%
2 months $9.74 +93.8% · $1,938 +93.8%
3 months $9.35 +101.9% · $2,019 +101.9%
6 months $7.89 +139.3% · $2,393 +139.3%
1 year $7.42 +154.4% $0.48 $2,609 +160.9%
2 years $7.68 +145.9% $0.95 $2,582 +158.2%
3 years $7.01 +169.2% $1.53 $2,910 +191.0%
5 years $7.11 +165.5% $2.33 $2,983 +198.3%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever UMC does next, these words stay.

United Micro Electronics ADR · UMC · Markup · $19.08
Recorded 2026-07-27 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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