Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Boosts Stock Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. lifted its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,774 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the quarter. ASML accounts for approximately 0.7% of Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in ASML were worth $8,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ASML. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 5.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,044 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,703,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in ASML by 5.5% in the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 1,260 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in ASML by 17.2% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,623 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $8,018,000 after buying an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its position in ASML by 1,977.8% in the third quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA lifted its position in ASML by 36.8% in the third quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 431 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock opened at $744.08 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $292.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. ASML Holding has a 12 month low of $645.45 and a 12 month high of $1,110.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $725.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $766.07.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 26.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.