Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 557 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in ASML Holding N.V. by 19.9%, now owning 3,359 shares valued at approximately $2.23 million, as reported in their latest disclosure.
• ASML recently reported quarterly earnings with an EPS of $4.55, missing expectations, but showed a revenue increase of 23.2% year-over-year, amounting to $8.94 billion.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.856, marking an increase from the previous dividend of $1.64, with a current yield of 1.0% and a payout ratio of 26.21%.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,359 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in ASML were worth $2,226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.0% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 3,327 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,205,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of ASML in the first quarter valued at $7,168,000. Bristlecone Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 5.1% in the first quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 411 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the first quarter valued at $236,000. Finally, Wambolt & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 10.0% in the first quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC now owns 561 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ASML. DZ Bank cut shares of ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. New Street Research upgraded shares of ASML from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $806.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $923.80.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $755.22. 1,285,160 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,745,721. ASML Holding N.V. has a one year low of $578.51 and a one year high of $945.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $757.96 and a 200 day moving average of $724.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $297.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.52, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.76.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.72 billion. ASML had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 26.95%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 29th were paid a $1.856 dividend. This represents a $7.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 29th. This is an increase from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.17%.

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.