Emerald Advisers LLC Takes Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Emerald Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 553 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $383,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $1,174,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in ASML by 5.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $117,323,000 after buying an additional 7,010 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 36.7% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $18,243,000 after acquiring an additional 7,073 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of ASML by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,759 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,764,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $716.22 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $281.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. ASML Holding has a twelve month low of $645.45 and a twelve month high of $1,110.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $730.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $733.81. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $1.5855 dividend. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DZ Bank raised 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML 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.