Independence Bank of Kentucky Has $4.04 Million Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 207.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,831 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,932 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky’s holdings in ASML were worth $4,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ASML. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 41.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,019,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in ASML by 278.7% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 21,106 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,586,000 after purchasing an additional 15,532 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of ASML by 59.1% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,629 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,666,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trinity Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trinity Financial Advisors LLC now owns 502 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ASML. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ ASML opened at $739.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $290.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $719.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $775.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. ASML Holding has a 12-month low of $645.45 and a 12-month high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued 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 return on equity of 50.53% and a net margin of 26.78%. Sell-side analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.6414 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This represents a $6.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.83%.

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.