Sentinel Trust Co. LBA Increases Stock Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Sentinel Trust Co. LBA raised its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 17.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,719 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the period. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA’s holdings in ASML were worth $1,884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its stake in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Down 6.6 %

ASML opened at $697.70 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $733.09 and its 200-day moving average is $755.88. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $645.45 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $274.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 research note on Thursday, January 30th. 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

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.