Sierra Ocean LLC Acquires Shares of 128 ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $89,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in ASML by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after buying an additional 868 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $16,994,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in ASML by 5.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in ASML by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Trading Down 3.3 %

NASDAQ ASML opened at $751.55 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $295.68 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 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 quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $729.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $762.81.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective for the company. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.