Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 37,994 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 5.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 763,590 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,994 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.19% of ASML worth $611,933,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 153.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the first quarter worth $27,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in ASML in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its position in ASML by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new position in ASML during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the subject of several recent research reports. Arete Research raised ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of ASML from $965.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,076.33.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $966.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. ASML Holding N.V. has a twelve month low of $578.51 and a twelve month high of $1,086.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,000.20 and a 200-day moving average of $839.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.14. ASML had a net margin of 27.08% and a return on equity of 47.74%. The business had revenue of $8.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.28 earnings per share. ASML’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th were given a $1.857 dividend. This represents a $7.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 29th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.76%.

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.