ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Position Boosted by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 248 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in ASML by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,067,413 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $628,344,000 after purchasing an additional 274,562 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 48,040.7% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 245,999 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $186,202,000 after buying an additional 245,488 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 106.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 336,956 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $198,353,000 after buying an additional 173,813 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in ASML by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,146,157 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $867,549,000 after buying an additional 151,844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,607,702 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,123,710,000 after acquiring an additional 126,413 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML traded up $31.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $901.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,038,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,239,902. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $951.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $812.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $355.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.05, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.49. ASML Holding has a fifty-two week low of $563.99 and a fifty-two week high of $1,056.34.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be given a $1.343 dividend. This represents a $5.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 26th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASML has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on ASML from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 12th. HSBC started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of ASML from $850.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,036.00.

ASML 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.