1,540 Shares in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Acquired by Phraction Management LLC

Phraction Management LLC bought a new stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,540 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,067,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 755 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at $695,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in ASML by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,239,421,000 after purchasing an additional 31,231 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 1,063 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $737,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $624,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of ASML opened at $756.17 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $726.48 and its 200 day moving average is $764.28. ASML Holding has a fifty-two week low of $645.45 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $297.49 billion, a PE ratio of 36.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 payout ratio is currently 26.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.