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

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 26.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & 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. owned approximately 0.17% of ASML worth $462,180,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Kennebec Savings Bank raised 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 acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 740.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings 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 valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $727.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $731.53. 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 firm has a market cap of $265.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.43, a P/E/G 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 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is an increase 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASML has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.