Alliancebernstein L.P. Lowers Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Alliancebernstein L.P. decreased its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 666,850 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 242,971 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in ASML were worth $462,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. lifted its position in shares of ASML by 120.9% during the 4th quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 201 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in ASML by 44.5% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,139 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in ASML by 53.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $559,494,000 after purchasing an additional 281,156 shares in the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its position in shares of ASML by 4,941.8% in the fourth quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 54,351 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $37,670,000 after purchasing an additional 53,273 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of ASML by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,252,849 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $868,324,000 after purchasing an additional 33,603 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of ASML opened at $674.58 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $727.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $731.53. The company has a market capitalization of $265.39 billion, a PE ratio of 32.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

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 return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a $1.5855 dividend. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

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.