Ground Swell Capital LLC Makes New Investment in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)

Key Points

• Ground Swell Capital LLC has acquired 544 shares of ASML Holding N.V., valued at approximately $360,000, in the first quarter of the year.
• ASML's quarterly earnings report showed $4.55 EPS, missing estimates, while revenue of $8.94 billion exceeded expectations, representing a 23.2% year-over-year increase.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.856, reflecting a positive change from the previous $1.64 dividend, with an annualized yield of 1.0%.

Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new stake in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 544 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $360,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 12.3% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 402 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in ASML by 12.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,407 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $5,571,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in ASML by 1.6% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,478 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,304,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP grew its stake in ASML by 2.4% in the first quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 19,483 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $12,910,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in ASML by 2.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,418 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $22,806,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on ASML from $840.00 to $890.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. DZ Bank cut ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. 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.com, ASML has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $923.80.

ASML Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ ASML traded down $13.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $742.16. The company had a trading volume of 1,633,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,967,466. ASML Holding N.V. has a twelve month low of $578.51 and a twelve month 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 stock has a market capitalization of $291.98 billion, a PE ratio of 30.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.76. The stock's 50 day moving average is $757.89 and its 200-day moving average is $725.48.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $5.94 by ($1.39). The company 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 was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 29th were issued a $1.856 dividend. This is a boost from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. This represents a $7.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 29th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.21%.

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.