Pegasus Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Pegasus Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 43.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,581 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,377 shares during the quarter. ASML makes up about 1.2% of Pegasus Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Pegasus Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in ASML were worth $3,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ASML. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its position in ASML by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at about $16,994,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in ASML by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $117,323,000 after acquiring an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in ASML by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $12,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML stock traded down $6.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $737.01. 1,471,505 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,797,356. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $732.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $759.39. The firm has a market cap of $289.96 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.47. 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 $645.45 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is a boost from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.