ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Purchased by Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 269.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,119 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia's holdings in ASML were worth $4,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Edgewood Management LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,208,615,000 after purchasing an additional 959,696 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.8% in the fourth 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 lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 2.8% during the fourth 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. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 53.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $559,494,000 after buying an additional 281,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ASML by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 383,893 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $266,068,000 after acquiring an additional 3,158 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASML traded up $7.67 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $680.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,518,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,625,899. The firm has a market cap of $267.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. ASML Holding has a 1-year low of $578.51 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09. The business's 50 day moving average price is $704.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $716.86. 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 (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is a positive change from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

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.