Van ECK Associates Corp Purchases 31,231 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,231 shares during the period. ASML makes up approximately 1.6% of Van ECK Associates Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in ASML were worth $1,239,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC increased its position in ASML by 5.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,044 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,703,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 18.3% during the third quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 763 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in ASML by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 26,866 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $22,386,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 38.1% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 359 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Price Performance

ASML stock opened at $756.17 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $297.49 billion, a PE ratio of 36.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $726.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $764.28. ASML Holding has a 12-month low of $645.45 and a 12-month high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. As a group, research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 26.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

About ASML

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.