ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,480,000 shares, a decline of 14.5% from the December 31st total of 1,730,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,740,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. DZ Bank raised ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $937.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 7,292 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $5,054,000 after buying an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,110 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $769,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in ASML during the fourth quarter worth $92,000. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 25,039 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $17,354,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 113.7% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,098 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $3,534,000 after purchasing an additional 2,712 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML traded up $2.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $739.31. 2,125,582 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,835,136. The company has a market cap of $290.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $719.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $775.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. ASML has a 1 year low of $645.45 and a 1 year high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 50.53% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities analysts predict that ASML will post 25.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.6414 per share. This represents a $6.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a boost from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. ASML's payout ratio is presently 26.83%.

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.

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