Primecap Management Co. CA Decreases Stake in ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Primecap Management Co. CA lessened its holdings in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 422,609 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 108,000 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA’s holdings in ASML were worth $338,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ASML. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 153.8% in the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in ASML during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in ASML in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of ASML by 129.4% during the second quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ASML Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ ASML opened at $1,004.06 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $988.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $835.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $394.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88. ASML Holding N.V. has a 1 year low of $578.51 and a 1 year high of $1,086.11.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.14. ASML had a return on equity of 47.74% and a net margin of 27.08%.The company had revenue of $8.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th were paid a $1.857 dividend. This represents a $7.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 29th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on ASML shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Redburn Partners set a $1,200.00 target price on ASML in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,076.33.

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.