ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Holdings Lessened by Columbia Asset Management

Columbia Asset Management cut its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,473 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 233 shares during the quarter. Columbia Asset Management’s holdings in ASML were worth $1,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 6.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,472 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,223,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in ASML by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 565 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in ASML by 36.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,799 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,830 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY raised its stake in ASML by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 53,929 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $44,936,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares during the period. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 5.6% in the third quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 323 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASML has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on 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. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML opened at $667.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $262.55 billion, a PE ratio of 32.08, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. ASML Holding has a twelve month low of $645.45 and a twelve month high of $1,110.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $723.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $729.51.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. As a group, research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

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.