ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Position Lifted by Meritage Portfolio Management

Meritage Portfolio Management boosted its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,742 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,816 shares during the quarter. ASML accounts for about 1.4% of Meritage Portfolio Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in ASML were worth $21,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Carmel Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 200.0% in the third quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in ASML by 48.4% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 46 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 220.0% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ASML by 35.4% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 65 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ASML. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of ASML from $850.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on ASML from $830.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,036.00.

ASML Stock Up 2.2 %

ASML traded up $20.15 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $921.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 612,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,234,083. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $955.81 and its 200-day moving average is $802.24. ASML Holding has a 1 year low of $563.99 and a 1 year high of $1,056.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.91, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The semiconductor company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $7.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.34 billion. ASML had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 27.23%. As a group, research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.04 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.343 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 26th. This represents a $5.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 27.02%.

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.