Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Has $4.91 Million Stock Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 73.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,070 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in ASML were worth $4,909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Edgewood Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 43.1% in the fourth quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,208,615,000 after buying an additional 959,696 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,239,421,000 after buying an additional 31,231 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,252,849 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $868,324,000 after buying an additional 33,603 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in ASML by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 962,578 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $667,155,000 after buying an additional 13,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 898,544 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $622,769,000 after acquiring an additional 46,028 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Price Performance

ASML stock traded up $2.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $677.27. The stock had a trading volume of 1,280,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,641,265. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $687.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $705.65. ASML Holding has a 52 week low of $578.51 and a 52 week high of $1,110.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $266.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This is a positive change from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's payout ratio is 27.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ASML. 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 price target on shares of 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 dropped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $906.00.

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.