Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. Increases Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,595 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $4,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in ASML during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, First Community Trust NA purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Down 5.0 %

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $658.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $259.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.51. ASML Holding has a 52 week low of $654.77 and a 52 week high of $1,110.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $756.70 and a 200-day moving average of $881.59.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.24 by $0.56. ASML had a return on equity of 47.61% and a net margin of 26.40%. The firm had revenue of $8.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.66 billion. Analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 20.77 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th were given a $1.407 dividend. This represents a $5.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 29th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on ASML from $1,052.00 to $815.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays raised shares of ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of ASML from $1,000.00 to $790.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, UBS Group lowered ASML from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $970.60.

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.