Empowered Funds LLC Sells 2,614 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Empowered Funds LLC trimmed its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 20.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,409 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 2,614 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $7,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisory Resource Group grew its position in ASML by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,504 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. purchased a new position in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,486,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in ASML by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,190 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,329,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chronos Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $4,487,000. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered 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 shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

ASML stock opened at $744.08 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $292.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a fifty day moving average of $725.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $766.07.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.83%.

ASML 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.