Institutional Investors Reduce TSMC Holdings Amid Trade Concerns
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 27 2026
0mins
Source: Fool
- Selling Trend Emerges: According to WhaleWisdom.com, institutional investors reduced their holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) by approximately 2.8% during Q4 2025, bringing total shares held down to about 789.6 million, raising concerns about its future performance.
- Profit-Taking Factor: TSMC's stock price surged from a range of $220-$240 to $290-$310 between Q3 and Q4, leading some institutional investors to sell for profit-taking, indicating a market preference for short-term gains.
- Passive Funds Dominate: The reduction in holdings primarily came from passive funds rather than hedge funds, which slightly decreased their stake in TSMC, suggesting that most of the selling was driven by automatic adjustments based on index weightings rather than active investment strategies.
- Trade Policy Impact: Although the U.S. and Taiwan reached a trade agreement in January, trade uncertainty remained a concern in Q4, which may have prompted some institutional investors to reduce their TSMC holdings to mitigate potential risks.
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Analyst Views on TSM
Wall Street analysts forecast TSM stock price to fall
8 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 341.490
Low
63.24
Averages
313.46
High
390.00
Current: 341.490
Low
63.24
Averages
313.46
High
390.00
About TSM
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd is a Taiwan-based integrated circuit foundry service provider. The Company is primarily engaged in integrated circuit manufacturing services. It offers advanced process technologies, specialised process solutions, advanced photomask and silicon stacking, and packaging-related technologies, while supporting a comprehensive design ecosystem. The Company's products serve diverse electronic sectors including artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, wired and wireless communications, automotive and industrial equipment, personal computing, information applications, consumer electronics, smart internet of things, and wearable devices.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Significant Shareholding Increase: Point72 Asset Management's latest filings for Q4 2025 reveal that it owns 4.6 million shares of TSMC, marking a 157% increase from Q3 2025, indicating a strong confidence in the company.
- Consistent Investment Trend: Since 2021, TSMC has been a constant presence in Point72's portfolio, reflecting its significance and attractiveness in the semiconductor industry amid ongoing technological advancements.
- Launch of 2nm Chip Production: TSMC officially commenced mass production of 2nm chips in January 2026, becoming the first company globally to achieve this milestone, which is expected to draw more institutional investor interest.
- High Demand and Profit Margins: Over 50% of the 2nm capacity has been pre-ordered by Apple, NVIDIA, and AMD, with wafers priced at $30,000, a 20% premium over the 3nm generation, significantly boosting the company's profit margins.
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- Significant Shareholding Increase: Point72 Asset Management's latest filings for Q4 2025 reveal that it owns 4.6 million shares of TSMC, marking a 157% increase from Q3 2025, indicating a strong confidence in the company.
- Consistent Investment Trend: Since 2021, TSMC has been a constant presence in Point72's portfolio, reflecting its significance and attractiveness in the semiconductor industry amid ongoing technological advancements.
- Launch of 2nm Chip Production: TSMC officially commenced mass production of 2nm chips in January 2026, becoming the first company globally to achieve this milestone, which is expected to draw more institutional investor interest.
- High Demand and Profit Margins: Over 50% of the 2nm capacity has been pre-ordered by Apple, NVIDIA, and AMD, with wafers priced at $30,000, a 20% premium over the 3nm generation, significantly boosting the company's profit margins.
See More
AI Spending Expected to Grow Through 2030
- Broadcom Growth Potential: Broadcom anticipates that its custom AI chips will generate over $100 billion in annual sales by 2027, a significant increase from the $8.4 billion reported in the latest quarter, which is expected to drive its stock price significantly higher later this year.
- Nvidia's Market Position: Despite Nvidia's stock trading at a forward P/E of just 20.2 times, the demand for AI computing chips far exceeds its production capacity, and the introduction of new architectures will further solidify its market leadership, presenting an excellent buying opportunity.
- Microsoft's Investment Opportunity: With its P/E ratio nearing a decade low, Microsoft stands out as a leading AI facilitator, making this rare buying opportunity particularly significant in the current market environment, likely attracting more investor interest.
- Taiwan Semiconductor's Growth Outlook: Taiwan Semiconductor expects a 25% compound annual growth rate from 2024 to 2029, and with its critical technology in the AI sector and strong partnerships with major tech companies, it emerges as a key investment choice in the AI wave.
See More
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- Broadcom's Growth Potential: Broadcom anticipates that its custom AI chips will generate over $100 billion in annual sales by 2027, a significant leap from the $8.4 billion reported last quarter, indicating immense future growth potential that could substantially enhance the company's market value.
- Nvidia's Market Demand: Nvidia faces demand for its AI computing chips that far exceeds its production capacity, and with a forward P/E ratio of just 20.2, despite projections for data center growth extending through 2030, the stock presents a compelling investment opportunity at this time.
- Microsoft's Buying Opportunity: Microsoft is trading at nearly its lowest price-to-earnings ratio in a decade, and the current sell-off offers a rare buying opportunity for investors; as a leading AI facilitator, Microsoft is poised to maintain its significant market relevance moving forward.
- Taiwan Semiconductor's Growth Trajectory: Taiwan Semiconductor expects its revenue to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 25% between 2024 and 2029, and as the world's largest chip foundry with strong partnerships with major tech firms, it is well-positioned to capitalize on the booming AI sector.
See More
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- High Leverage Risk: CoreWeave's business model relies on long-term contracts with Nvidia as collateral for loans, resulting in extremely high leverage relative to earnings; despite its revenue backlog soaring from $15.1 billion in 2024 to $66.8 billion in 2025, any missteps could significantly impact its financial health.
- Strong Market Demand: Despite challenges, CoreWeave's major customers remain supportive, with revenue expected to double in 2026; however, capital expenditures are growing rapidly, leading the company to remain cash flow negative and reliant on debt for continued growth in the short term.
- Investor Strategy Shift: Notable investor Laffont began reducing his stake in CoreWeave in Q3 and fully exited in Q4, coinciding with a 50% drop in share price since October, reflecting a cautious approach towards high-risk investments.
- Competitive Advantage and Market Outlook: While CoreWeave faces risks, its close relationship with Nvidia provides a competitive edge in the AI data center space, with potential to expand operating margins to 25%-30% in the future, yet investors must carefully weigh risks against potential returns.
See More
Coatue Management Increases Stake in Applied Materials Amid AI Boom
- Investment Strategy Shift: Coatue Management nearly doubled its stake in Applied Materials in Q4, reflecting confidence in the surge of semiconductor equipment demand driven by AI accelerator chips, with the company expecting over 20% growth in its equipment business this year.
- Core Investment Changes: Coatue began reducing its position in CoreWeave, its largest holding, in Q3 and fully disposed of it in Q4, coinciding with a 50% drop in the company's stock price since October, indicating a cautious approach to risky investments.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Applied Materials' management anticipates strong revenue acceleration over the next two years as customers expand physical capacity, with expected 25% earnings-per-share growth in 2027, making the stock appear relatively cheap at a forward P/E of just 30 times.
- Financial Health Concerns: While CoreWeave's revenue backlog soared from $15.1 billion in 2024 to $66.8 billion, the company remains cash flow negative due to rapidly growing capital expenditures, highlighting vulnerabilities in its financial structure.
See More
Intensifying Competition Among AI Infrastructure Giants
- Nvidia's Market Dominance: Nvidia has achieved a 90% market share in GPUs, with parabolic revenue growth over the past few years, showcasing its strong leadership in the AI infrastructure sector and indicating it will continue to lead the market in the future.
- Acquisition Strategy: By acquiring companies like Groq and SchedMD, Nvidia has enhanced its AI inference solutions, further solidifying its position within the CUDA ecosystem and ensuring its technology remains forward-thinking.
- Key Role of TSMC: As a primary supplier for AI chip manufacturing, TSMC has nearly monopolized the production of advanced chips due to its scale and technological expertise, ensuring high yields and low defect rates, thus becoming the
See More
