Emerald Advisers LLC Makes New Investment in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Emerald Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 553 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $383,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 171,269 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $119,094,000 after buying an additional 26,971 shares during the period. Blueprint Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $241,000. Mosley Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of ASML by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Mosley Wealth Management now owns 1,046 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. English Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,044,000. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in ASML by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 585 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ASML shares. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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 raised 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. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML opened at $716.22 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.43, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $730.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $733.81. ASML Holding has a twelve month low of $645.45 and a twelve month 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 released its quarterly 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Equities analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

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.