Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $2.12 Million Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,064 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 479 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in ASML were worth $2,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its position in ASML by 740.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock opened at $669.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. ASML Holding has a fifty-two week low of $645.45 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09. The company has a market capitalization of $263.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $721.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $729.09.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

About ASML

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.