Walter Public Investments Inc. Purchases 12,926 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Walter Public Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 78.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,323 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,926 shares during the period. ASML makes up about 3.6% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $20,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 46.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock opened at $746.93 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $733.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $756.28. The firm has a market cap of $293.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. ASML Holding has a 1 year low of $645.45 and a 1 year high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Company 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.