Franklin Resources Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Key Points

• Franklin Resources Inc. cut its ASML stake by 13% in the fourth quarter, selling 91,022 shares and ending with 606,930 shares valued at about $649.3 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with hedge funds and other institutions holding about 26.07% of ASML shares overall, and several firms recently increasing their positions.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on ASML, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,589.63, despite one recent downgrade to Hold.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its stake in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 606,930 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 91,022 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of ASML worth $649,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 5.2% during the first quarter. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,664,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 141.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,553,000 after acquiring an additional 4,021 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 153.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 17,210 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $11,404,000 after acquiring an additional 10,411 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in ASML by 1.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,383 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $9,122,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASML has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,813.00 to $2,200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of ASML from $1,625.00 to $1,700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen cut ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,589.63.

Key Headlines Impacting ASML

Here are the key news stories impacting ASML this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk called ASML “the greatest company in Europe,” highlighting that his planned Terafab project would need large numbers of ASML’s advanced lithography tools. Why Elon Musk says ASML is the greatest company in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: ASML was highlighted as a top AI stock in billionaire Ken Fisher’s portfolio, which may support investor confidence in long-term demand for its EUV machines. ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) Is A Top AI Stock In Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: ASML was included among stocks positioned to benefit from surging semiconductor sales and AI-driven chip demand, keeping the company in favor with growth investors. 5 Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio on Soaring Semiconductor Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles reiterated that ASML remains one of the most important names in semiconductors and a stock some investors consider attractive for the long term, but these pieces were largely opinion-based rather than new company-specific catalysts. Is ASML Stock an Undervalued Semiconductor Stock to Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: A report about a Chinese startup claiming its nanoimprint technology can mass-produce optical chips without ASML equipment raises a potential long-term competitive threat to ASML’s market position. Chinese start-up claims nanoimprint tech can mass-produce optical chips without ASML gear

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML opened at $1,749.04 on Tuesday. ASML Holding N.V. has a 12 month low of $683.48 and a 12 month high of $1,779.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $687.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,499.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,348.74.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 48.69% and a net margin of 27.65%.The company had revenue of $10.15 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ASML Holding N.V. will post 36.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Company Profile

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.

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