Headlands Technologies LLC Takes $3.58 Million Position in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies LLC acquired 5,407 shares of ASML Holding N.V. valued at approximately $3.58 million, indicating growing institutional interest in the semiconductor company.
• ASML reported earnings of $4.55 per share for the quarter, missing estimates by $1.39, but showed a revenue increase of 23.2% year-over-year to $8.94 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.856 per share, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 5,407 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $3,583,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 12.3% in 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 lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,407 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $5,571,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.6% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,478 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,304,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Lyell Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 19,483 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $12,910,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in ASML by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,418 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $22,806,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML stock traded up $22.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $713.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,721,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,348. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $758.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $725.09. ASML Holding N.V. has a 12-month low of $578.51 and a 12-month high of $945.05. The company has a market capitalization of $280.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

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 for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.01 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 29th were issued a $1.856 dividend. This represents a $7.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 29th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is 26.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. DZ Bank cut ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. New Street Research raised ASML from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on ASML from $840.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $923.80.

About ASML

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.