Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 1,063 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Free Report) by 145.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,793 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,063 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC's holdings in ASML were worth $1,248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in ASML by 133.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ASML shares. DZ Bank raised ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company 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 report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Up 4.5 %

Shares of ASML traded up $31.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $739.75. 1,751,919 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,515,217. ASML Holding has a 52 week low of $645.45 and a 52 week high of $1,110.09. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $732.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $750.10. The company has a market cap of $291.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The company 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 an increase 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%.

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.