Blueshift Asset Management LLC Lowers Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 77.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 338 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 1,163 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in ASML by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on ASML. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML opened at $716.22 on Friday. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $645.45 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $730.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $735.13. The stock has a market cap of $281.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current 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 positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

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.