First Trust Advisors LP Buys 20,670 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 203,512 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,670 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in ASML were worth $141,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Edgewood Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,208,615,000 after buying an additional 959,696 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,239,421,000 after acquiring an additional 31,231 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,252,849 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $868,324,000 after purchasing an additional 33,603 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 962,578 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $667,155,000 after purchasing an additional 13,115 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in ASML by 53.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $559,494,000 after purchasing an additional 281,156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of ASML stock opened at $640.16 on Friday. ASML Holding has a 12-month low of $578.51 and a 12-month 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’s 50 day moving average is $697.51 and its 200-day moving average is $712.65. The stock has a market cap of $251.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.90 billion. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Equities research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a $1.5855 dividend. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. 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 research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $906.00.

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.