ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Position Lifted by Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 17.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 97,141 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,726 shares during the period. ASML makes up 2.8% of Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $67,326,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its holdings 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 during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth about $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at about $16,994,000. 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 valued at $117,323,000 after buying an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 7.2% during the third quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Down 0.8 %

ASML stock opened at $737.01 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $732.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $758.26. The company has a market capitalization of $289.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.47. ASML Holding has a 52 week low of $645.45 and a 52 week high of $1,110.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 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%. On average, analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 25.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ASML. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

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.