Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Makes New $1.88 Million Investment in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,668 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $1,875,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 94,079.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 491,618 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $4,096,410,000 after purchasing an additional 491,096 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,757,049 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,464,061,000 after purchasing an additional 474,653 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new position in ASML during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $125,952,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in ASML by 281.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 156,693 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $108,601,000 after purchasing an additional 115,603 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in ASML by 97,001.7% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 113,609 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $94,665,000 after buying an additional 113,492 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of ASML stock traded down $6.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $737.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,471,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,797,356. The firm has a market cap of $289.96 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $732.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $759.97. 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 fifty-two week low of $645.45 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

About ASML

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.