Saratoga Research & Investment Management Boosts Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 4,941.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,351 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,273 shares during the period. ASML accounts for 1.9% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in ASML were worth $37,670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its stake in ASML by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $1,174,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of ASML by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after buying an additional 7,010 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ASML by 36.7% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $18,243,000 after buying an additional 7,073 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,759 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,764,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Down 2.3 %

ASML stock opened at $674.58 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $727.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $731.53. ASML Holding has a 1-year low of $645.45 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $265.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on ASML shares. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.