Valley National Advisers Inc. Boosts Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,023 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Round Rock Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at $234,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $995,000 after buying an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners raised its position in shares of ASML by 1,030.2% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,085 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $752,000 after buying an additional 989 shares during the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter worth about $441,000. Finally, Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $4,880,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their target price on ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML opened at $739.31 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $719.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $773.48. The stock has a market cap of $290.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. ASML Holding has a 1-year low of $645.45 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 50.53%. As a group, analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.07 EPS for the current year.

ASML Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a $1.6414 dividend. This represents a $6.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.83%.

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.