Saturna Capital Corp Acquires 546 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Saturna Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 320,100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 546 shares during the period. ASML makes up 3.0% of Saturna Capital Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in ASML were worth $221,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Amundi grew its position in ASML by 4,880.5% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 335,284 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $247,019,000 after acquiring an additional 328,552 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth $175,257,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter valued at $137,386,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 281.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 156,693 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $108,601,000 after purchasing an additional 115,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in ASML by 126.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 148,377 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $123,635,000 after buying an additional 82,836 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

ASML stock opened at $690.21 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $732.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $742.65. The company has a market capitalization of $271.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.18, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. 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 fifty-two week low of $645.45 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASML has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

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.