Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Decreases Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,167 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 465 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC's holdings in ASML were worth $2,888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its holdings in ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 740.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in ASML by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $906.00.

ASML Stock Up 2.6 %

ASML stock traded up $17.02 during trading on Thursday, reaching $675.00. 1,767,195 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,637,489. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $690.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $709.50. ASML Holding has a 12 month low of $578.51 and a 12 month high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $265.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. The company had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.90 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is a boost from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.48%.

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.