Ramirez Asset Management Inc. Purchases 56 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,369 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. ASML accounts for about 1.0% of Ramirez Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Ramirez Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $5,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC grew its stake in ASML by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $772,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Quarterback LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC now owns 1,331 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $923,000 after buying an additional 15 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

ASML has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of 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 raised their price target on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ASML presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock opened at $690.63 on Friday. ASML Holding has a 12 month low of $645.45 and a 12 month 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $729.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $732.67. The stock has a market cap of $271.71 billion, a PE ratio of 33.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

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.