Virtu Financial LLC Purchases 3,160 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 70.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,670 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 3,160 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $5,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 740.0% during 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 during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in ASML by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ ASML opened at $716.22 on Friday. 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 Holding has a 52-week low of $645.45 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $730.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $735.13. The stock has a market cap of $281.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Two equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, ASML has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.