North Star Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

North Star Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 25,849 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,424,000. ASML makes up approximately 2.0% of North Star Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Portus Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV increased its stake in ASML by 1,150.0% during the 4th quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 25 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its holdings in ASML by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 27 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ASML from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Morningstar downgraded ASML to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on ASML from $2,200.00 to $2,500.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,970.33.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASML opened at $1,735.01 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,769.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,590.92. ASML Holding N.V. has a 1-year low of $716.20 and a 1-year high of $1,999.96. The firm has a market cap of $682.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its earnings results on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $10.62 billion during the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 30.11% and a return on equity of 52.71%. Analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.92 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were given a dividend of $2.1507 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $8.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.62%.

ASML Profile

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.