Rench Wealth Management Inc. Invests $304,000 in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Rench Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 438 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $304,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Performance

ASML opened at $672.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $264.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $704.82 and its 200-day moving average is $716.86. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $578.51 and a 52-week 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on ASML shares. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of 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. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.