E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 8,026 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 22.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 44,047 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,026 shares during the quarter. ASML accounts for approximately 1.5% of E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in ASML were worth $30,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $175,257,000. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $137,386,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 281.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 156,693 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $108,601,000 after buying an additional 115,603 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 126.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 148,377 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $123,635,000 after acquiring an additional 82,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 2,825.3% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 84,191 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $58,351,000 after acquiring an additional 81,313 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ASML. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Up 4.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ ASML opened at $739.75 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $732.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $750.03. 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. The company has a market cap of $291.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.56, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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.