Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 130,623 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its ASML position by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 130,623 shares and leaving it with 2,017,883 shares worth about $2.16 billion.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains strong: hedge funds and other institutions hold 26.07% of ASML, and several large investors increased their stakes during the period.
• Wall Street sentiment on ASML is still favorable, with Goldman Sachs reaffirming a buy rating and analysts maintaining a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.”

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its stake in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,017,883 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 130,623 shares during the quarter. ASML comprises 1.8% of Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.51% of ASML worth $2,158,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in ASML by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,484,949 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,798,268,000 after purchasing an additional 132,353 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted 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 acquiring an additional 577,448 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted 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 acquiring an additional 142,763 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in ASML by 25.2% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,157,324 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,120,394,000 after buying an additional 232,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in ASML by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,014,815 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,085,717,000 after buying an additional 23,999 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting ASML

Here are the key news stories impacting ASML this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its buy rating on ASML, reinforcing Wall Street confidence in the company’s long-term earnings and dominance in semiconductor lithography. ASML receives a buy rating from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk’s appearance at ASML’s technology conference put the company in the spotlight and highlighted its importance to next-generation chip manufacturing plans, including Musk’s proposed Terafab project tied to Tesla and SpaceX. Ahead of SpaceX IPO, Elon Musk addresses ASML employees as part of push into chip manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest remains strong in ASML’s technology leadership, with commentary noting its widening moat and continued relevance in AI and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The Competitive Threat That Never Was: ASML's Widening Moat Boosts Stock 77% YTD
• Neutral Sentiment: ASML also drew attention from articles discussing possible chip-tool challengers such as Canon and xLight, but these reports did not show an immediate threat to ASML’s EUV leadership. Canon: Potential Challenger Of ASML's EUV Process
• Neutral Sentiment: ASML reached a deal with unions to reduce planned job cuts, and a separate report said the cuts were delayed, which may help labor relations but is not a major near-term growth driver. ASML to slash fewer jobs after striking deal with unions

ASML Stock Performance

ASML opened at $1,863.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $732.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.84, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.82. ASML Holding N.V. has a 52-week low of $683.48 and a 52-week high of $1,903.50. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $1,539.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,369.29.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $1,750.00 price target on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Freedom Capital raised shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. DZ Bank reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday, May 25th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,589.63.

About ASML

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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