Appaloosa LP Raises Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Appaloosa LP lifted its holdings in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 106.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 160,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,500 shares during the period. ASML accounts for about 1.7% of Appaloosa LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Appaloosa LP’s holdings in ASML were worth $110,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,223,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $420,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Sunpointe LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $772,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Family Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in ASML by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 909 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of ASML stock opened at $703.37 on Thursday. ASML Holding has a fifty-two week low of $645.45 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09. The firm has a market cap of $276.72 billion, a PE ratio of 33.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $733.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $742.38. 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 (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%. Analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.