Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires New Position in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 45,050 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,223,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its stake in ASML by 24.3% during the third quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 475 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 91.3% in the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,626 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its holdings in ASML by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 3,181 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,650,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in ASML by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 12,422 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $10,351,000 after buying an additional 3,106 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in ASML by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 47,601 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,664,000 after buying an additional 3,321 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Price Performance

ASML opened at $708.71 on Friday. ASML Holding has a 1-year low of $645.45 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $733.15 and a 200-day moving average of $754.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $278.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.07, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS 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%. Equities analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 31.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.