Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Stock Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 31.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,968 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,851 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in ASML were worth $58,106,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its position in ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 740.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Stock Performance

ASML traded up $2.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $677.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,280,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,641,265. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. ASML Holding has a 1 year low of $578.51 and a 1 year high of $1,110.09. The company has a market cap 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. The business has a 50-day moving average of $687.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $706.55.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. The company had revenue of $8.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.90 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend payout ratio is 27.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on ASML. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. 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. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $906.00.

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.