ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Purchased by Fayez Sarofim & Co

Fayez Sarofim & Co raised its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 692,152 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 46,397 shares during the period. ASML comprises about 1.2% of Fayez Sarofim & Co's holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned about 0.18% of ASML worth $479,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 80,290 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $66,902,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the period. Advisory Resource Group grew its position in ASML by 21.7% during the third quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,191 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $992,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Chelsea Counsel Co. purchased a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,375 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,146,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock traded up $19.29 on Wednesday, hitting $657.98. 1,847,150 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,633,845. The company has a market capitalization of $258.86 billion, a PE ratio of 31.63, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The company's fifty day moving average is $690.25 and its 200 day moving average is $709.50. 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 Holding has a 1-year low of $578.51 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given 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 currently 27.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ASML. 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. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.