Pennant Investors LP Decreases Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Pennant Investors LP cut its holdings in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 33.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,300 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. ASML accounts for approximately 0.8% of Pennant Investors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Pennant Investors LP's holdings in ASML were worth $2,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 83,968 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $58,106,000 after purchasing an additional 19,851 shares during the last quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 21,105 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $14,627,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its stake in ASML by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 692,152 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $479,717,000 after buying an additional 46,397 shares in the last quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC raised its stake in ASML by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC now owns 6,823 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,729,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 38,515 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $26,694,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ASML. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $906.00.

ASML Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of ASML traded up $17.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $675.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,767,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,637,489. The stock has a market cap of $265.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $690.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $709.50. ASML Holding has a fifty-two week low of $578.51 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This is a boost from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's payout ratio is currently 27.48%.

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.