Sit Investment Associates Inc. Sells 128 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Sit Investment Associates Inc. lessened its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,870 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 128 shares during the period. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $9,613,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ASML. Amundi boosted its position in shares of ASML by 4,880.5% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 335,284 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $247,019,000 after purchasing an additional 328,552 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in ASML by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $559,494,000 after acquiring an additional 281,156 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $175,257,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $137,386,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 281.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 156,693 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $108,601,000 after purchasing an additional 115,603 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 2.8 %

ASML stock opened at $605.55 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $238.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $716.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $726.43. ASML Holding has a 1-year low of $597.69 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

ASML Company 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.