Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Boosts Stock Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,497 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $12,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in ASML by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in ASML during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $16,994,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in ASML by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of ASML stock opened at $751.55 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $729.36 and its 200-day moving average is $761.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $295.68 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. ASML Holding has a 12-month low of $645.45 and a 12-month high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced 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 return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on 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 assumed coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, 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.