Choreo LLC Boosts Holdings in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)

Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 30.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,552 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 2,241 shares during the quarter. Choreo LLC's holdings in ASML were worth $6,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ASML. Edgewood Management LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,208,615,000 after acquiring an additional 959,696 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 70,115.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,400,800 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $9,282,120,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,805 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,252,849 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $868,324,000 after acquiring an additional 33,603 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 962,578 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $667,155,000 after purchasing an additional 13,115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 898,544 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $622,769,000 after purchasing an additional 46,028 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ASML. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of ASML from $840.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $806.00 target price on the stock. New Street Research upgraded shares of ASML from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded shares of ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $923.80.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock traded down $13.83 during trading on Friday, hitting $711.25. 2,309,141 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,229,190. ASML Holding N.V. has a 52-week low of $578.51 and a 52-week high of $945.05. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $765.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $727.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $279.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.73.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The semiconductor company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.94 by ($1.39). ASML had a net margin of 26.95% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The firm had revenue of $8.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.01 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.856 per share. This represents a $7.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. This is an increase from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 29th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.67%.

ASML 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.