IFP Advisors Inc Sells 1,250 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)

IFP Advisors Inc reduced its position in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 42.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,665 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 1,250 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in ASML were worth $1,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 322.2% during the first quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in ASML during the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the first quarter worth about $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna decreased their target price on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on ASML from $840.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, New Street Research upgraded ASML from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $923.80.

ASML Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML traded down $13.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $711.25. 2,309,141 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,760,492. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $279.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.73. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $766.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $727.71. ASML Holding N.V. has a 1 year low of $578.51 and a 1 year high of $945.05.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

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

ASML Company 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.