Long Focus Capital Management LLC Makes New $34.52 Million Investment in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Long Focus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 49,800 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $34,515,000. ASML accounts for 1.1% of Long Focus Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock traded up $2.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $677.27. 1,280,834 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,638,159. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $688.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $708.52. ASML Holding has a one year low of $578.51 and a one year high of $1,110.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $266.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.90 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ASML. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.