ASML Holding N.V. $ASML Stake Lowered by Natural Investments LLC

Natural Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 25.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,399 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 1,173 shares during the period. ASML accounts for 0.9% of Natural Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Natural Investments LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $3,636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in ASML by 17.3% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,791,982,000 after purchasing an additional 577,448 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth $505,510,000. Regents of The University of California bought a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth $413,335,000. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 24.9% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,861,445,000 after purchasing an additional 385,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in ASML by 75.6% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 790,869 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $765,632,000 after purchasing an additional 340,518 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ASML shares. Grupo Santander cut shares of ASML to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research cut shares of ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,482.50.

ASML Stock Up 1.5%

ASML stock opened at $1,500.20 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $590.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.79. ASML Holding N.V. has a fifty-two week low of $614.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,547.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,390.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,208.62.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be given a dividend of $3.1771 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. This represents a $12.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.10%.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) is a Dutch company that develops, manufactures and services advanced photolithography systems used to produce semiconductor chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML supplies capital equipment and associated software and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to pattern the intricate circuits on silicon wafers. The company is widely recognized for its leadership in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as its deep ultraviolet (DUV) platforms used across multiple process nodes.

ASML’s product portfolio includes EUV and DUV lithography machines, light sources, imaging optics and control software, together with spare parts, upgrades and field services.