ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Sold by Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 58.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 953 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 1,362 shares during the quarter. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,174,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in ASML by 5.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $117,323,000 after buying an additional 7,010 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in ASML by 36.7% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $18,243,000 after buying an additional 7,073 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of ASML by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,759 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,764,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML opened at $605.55 on Friday. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $597.69 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $238.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $716.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $726.43.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Profile

ASML Holding N.V. develops, produces, markets, sells, and services advanced semiconductor equipment systems for chipmakers. It offers advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The company also provides extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; and deep ultraviolet lithography systems comprising immersion and dry lithography solutions to manufacture various range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.