Clearbridge Investments LLC Buys 33,603 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,252,849 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,603 shares during the quarter. ASML accounts for about 0.7% of Clearbridge Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.32% of ASML worth $868,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of ASML by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,174,000. State Street Corp increased its position in ASML by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,322 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $18,243,000 after purchasing an additional 7,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,759 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $6,764,000 after buying an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASML has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASML traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $668.67. The stock had a trading volume of 690,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,554,989. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. ASML Holding has a 1-year low of $645.45 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $723.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $729.51.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. 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 31.35%.

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.