Capital International Investors Decreases Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Capital International Investors lowered its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,432,077 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 182,285 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors’ holdings in ASML were worth $2,379,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its position in 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 buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its stake in ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in ASML by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ ASML opened at $640.16 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $251.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $699.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $714.73. ASML Holding has a twelve month low of $578.51 and a twelve month high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.90 billion. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna cut their price target on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $906.00.

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.