BlackRock Inc. Increases Position in ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Key Points

• BlackRock increased its ASML stake by 4.9% in the second quarter, adding 59,888 shares to hold 1.28 million shares worth approximately $2.55 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 26.07% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $1,970.33. JPMorgan and RBC recently raised their targets to $2,400 and $2,000, respectively.
• ASML shares opened at $1,751.73 after declining 2.8%, while the company reported quarterly revenue of $10.64 billion and earnings of $8.65 per share. Its annualized dividend is $8.60, yielding about 0.5%.

BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 4.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,282,190 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 59,888 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. owned 0.33% of ASML worth $2,550,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Common Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,355,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in ASML by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 22,467 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $24,036,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,402,000. Keybank National Association OH lifted its position in ASML by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 65,354 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $69,920,000 after acquiring an additional 11,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 507.0% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,695 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,251 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on ASML shares. Weiss Ratings raised ASML from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on ASML from $1,700.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on ASML from $2,200.00 to $2,400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,970.33.

ASML Trading Down 2.8%

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $1,751.73 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $688.92 billion, a PE ratio of 54.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,785.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,576.01. ASML Holding N.V. has a 12 month low of $716.20 and a 12 month high of $1,999.96.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 52.71% and a net margin of 30.11%. Research analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.85 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were issued a $2.1507 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $8.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. ASML's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.62%.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. NASDAQ: ASML is a Dutch company that develops, manufactures and services advanced photolithography systems used to produce semiconductor chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML supplies capital equipment and associated software and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to pattern the intricate circuits on silicon wafers. The company is widely recognized for its leadership in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as its deep ultraviolet (DUV) platforms used across multiple process nodes.

ASML's product portfolio includes EUV and DUV lithography machines, light sources, imaging optics and control software, together with spare parts, upgrades and field services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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