Moran Wealth Management LLC Trims Stock Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,572 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 21 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $3,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its position in shares of ASML by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 57 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Price Performance

ASML opened at $683.11 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $732.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $744.18. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $268.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $645.45 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly 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%. As a group, analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 upped their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of 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 note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Company 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.