Bailard Inc. Reduces Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Bailard Inc. lowered its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,640 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 731 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.'s holdings in ASML were worth $4,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Norden Group LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 2,357 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,634,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in ASML by 145.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. raised its position in ASML by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 201 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Tower View Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,992 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,153,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nixon Peabody Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

ASML Trading Up 4.5 %

ASML stock traded up $31.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $739.75. The stock had a trading volume of 1,751,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,217. The stock has a market cap of $291.03 billion, a PE ratio of 35.56, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $732.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $750.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. ASML Holding has a 52 week low of $645.45 and a 52 week high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $1.5855 dividend. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

About ASML

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.