Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Increases Stake in ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 12,610.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,957 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 4,918 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $4,799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 6.3% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,244,254 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,401,304,000 after acquiring an additional 250,934 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in ASML by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 763,590 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $611,933,000 after purchasing an additional 37,994 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 583,093 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $467,285,000 after buying an additional 72,164 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML by 1.8% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 448,798 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $359,662,000 after buying an additional 8,070 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML opened at $1,469.59 on Monday. ASML Holding N.V. has a 12 month low of $578.51 and a 12 month high of $1,493.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $577.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,279.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,060.76.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be issued a $3.1771 dividend. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ASML shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of ASML from $1,092.00 to $1,331.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Grupo Santander lowered ASML to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded ASML from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,475.00.

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.