Howland Capital Management LLC Purchases 26 Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 389 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $270,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 94,079.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 491,618 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,096,410,000 after buying an additional 491,096 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in ASML by 37.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,757,049 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,464,061,000 after acquiring an additional 474,653 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new position in ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at $125,952,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 281.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 156,693 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $108,601,000 after purchasing an additional 115,603 shares during the period. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in ASML by 97,001.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 113,609 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $94,665,000 after purchasing an additional 113,492 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of ASML stock opened at $727.70 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $286.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. ASML Holding has a 12-month low of $645.45 and a 12-month high of $1,110.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $725.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $766.81.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly 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%. Research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 26.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased 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 initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ASML has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.