ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,023 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in ASML were worth $10,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $12,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in ASML by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 47,601 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $39,664,000 after buying an additional 3,321 shares during the last quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC now owns 34,767 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $28,970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,736 shares during the last quarter. KP Management LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 66.7% during the 2nd quarter. KP Management LLC now owns 5,000 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $5,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,372,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

ASML stock traded down $34.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $658.63. 3,063,214 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,440,591. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $654.77 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. The stock has a market cap of $259.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm's 50 day moving average is $756.70 and its 200 day moving average is $881.59.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.24 by $0.56. ASML had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 47.61%. The firm had revenue of $8.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.66 billion. Analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 20.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 29th were issued a dividend of $1.407 per share. This represents a $5.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 29th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $1,052.00 to $815.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on ASML from $1,000.00 to $790.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley downgraded ASML from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $970.60.

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.