MML Investors Services LLC Raises Stock Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,852 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,129 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in ASML were worth $29,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its holdings in ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its stake in ASML by 740.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its stake in ASML by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASML Stock Down 0.1 %

ASML traded down $0.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $674.42. The stock had a trading volume of 777,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,634,214. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock's 50 day moving average is $688.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $708.52. ASML Holding has a one year low of $578.51 and a one year high of $1,110.09. The company has a market capitalization of $265.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.90 billion. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. As a group, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a $1.5855 dividend. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $906.00.

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.