Sunpointe LLC Sells 694 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)

Key Points

• Sunpointe LLC reduced its stake in ASML Holding N.V. by 62.3%, selling 694 shares and retaining 420 shares worth $278,000.
• In the fourth quarter, several institutional investors increased their holdings in ASML, with Arrowstreet Capital increasing its position by 1,683.3% to 38,590 shares valued at $26.7 million.
• ASML recently reported a quarterly dividend increase to $1.856 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.04%, up from the previous quarterly dividend of $1.64.

Sunpointe LLC cut its position in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 62.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 420 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 694 shares during the quarter. Sunpointe LLC's holdings in ASML were worth $278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 322.2% during the 1st quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in ASML in the first quarter worth about $42,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the first quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in ASML in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock traded down $29.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $692.30. 1,801,412 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,764,519. ASML Holding N.V. has a 12 month low of $578.51 and a 12 month high of $945.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $764.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $726.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market capitalization of $272.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.73.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The semiconductor company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.94 by ($1.39). The firm had revenue of $8.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.72 billion. ASML had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 26.95%. The firm's revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 29th will be paid a $1.856 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 29th. This is an increase from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. This represents a $7.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. ASML's payout ratio is currently 26.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $806.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on ASML from $840.00 to $890.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, DZ Bank lowered ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $923.80.

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.