Alta Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Alta Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 45,879 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,798,000. ASML makes up approximately 1.9% of Alta Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of ASML by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $16,994,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of ASML by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of ASML by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Down 1.3 %

ASML opened at $699.86 on Tuesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $645.45 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.34 billion, a PE ratio of 33.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company’s 50-day moving average is $732.73 and its 200 day moving average is $751.58.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued 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 (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ASML. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Two 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.com, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

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.