Values First Advisors Inc. Acquires 372 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 53.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,063 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $737,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 227.3% in 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 during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 46.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ASML. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

NASDAQ ASML opened at $756.17 on Thursday. ASML Holding has a 12-month low of $645.45 and a 12-month high of $1,110.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $726.48 and its 200-day moving average is $764.28. The company has a market capitalization of $297.49 billion, a PE ratio of 36.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 26.83%.

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.