Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 26,050 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group boosted its ASML stake by 167.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 26,050 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 41,633 shares worth about $44.5 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and 26.07% of ASML is now owned by institutions, highlighting broad professional investor interest in the stock.
• Analysts remain largely positive on ASML: multiple firms reiterated buy or overweight ratings, while the company continues to benefit from strong AI-driven chip demand despite ongoing concerns about potential U.S. export restrictions to China.

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 167.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,633 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,050 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in ASML were worth $44,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,352,596 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,213,705,000 after purchasing an additional 108,342 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $3,791,982,000 after purchasing an additional 577,448 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,079,948,000 after purchasing an additional 305,435 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,861,445,000 after purchasing an additional 385,502 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,865,254 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,805,733,000 after purchasing an additional 142,763 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ASML News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting ASML this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berenberg Bank reaffirmed its buy rating on ASML, reinforcing confidence in the company’s outlook and helping support the stock. ASML - Berenberg keeps its Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for ASML, suggesting analysts see slightly stronger profitability ahead than previously expected. ASML earnings estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: ASML’s CEO said the company’s monopoly position in extreme ultraviolet lithography remains intact as AI-driven chip demand stays strong, which supports the long-term growth narrative. ASML CEO says monopoly safe as AI chip demand soars
• Neutral Sentiment: ASML provided a regular update on its share buyback program, which signals continued capital returns but is not a major new catalyst by itself. ASML share buyback update
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are still monitoring proposed U.S. export restrictions that could limit ASML’s ability to service advanced tools in China, creating a potential headwind for revenue. US export risks confront ASML monopoly

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, DZ Bank reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,504.38.

ASML Stock Up 5.0%

ASML stock opened at $1,592.02 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $626.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ASML Holding N.V. has a twelve month low of $683.48 and a twelve month high of $1,595.31. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,400.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,260.42.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 earnings per share for the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 27.65% and a return on equity of 48.69%. The firm had revenue of $10.15 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 37.05 EPS for the current 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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