Saratoga Research & Investment Management Boosts Stock Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management increased its position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 4,941.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,351 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,273 shares during the quarter. ASML comprises approximately 1.9% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in ASML were worth $37,670,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,174,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in ASML by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $18,243,000 after buying an additional 7,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of ASML by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,759 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,764,000 after buying an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ASML shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $674.58 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $727.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $731.53. ASML Holding has a 1 year low of $645.45 and a 1 year high of $1,110.09.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

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

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.