Values First Advisors Inc. Purchases 372 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Values First Advisors Inc. increased its position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 53.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,063 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the quarter. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ASML. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in ASML by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter worth about $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth about $16,994,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in ASML by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $117,323,000 after buying an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in ASML by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $12,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ASML Stock Performance

ASML opened at $756.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $297.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The business’s fifty day moving average is $726.48 and its 200-day moving average is $764.28. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $645.45 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 announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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