Grace & Mercy Foundation Inc. Sells 600 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Grace & Mercy Foundation Inc. lessened its position in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 900 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 600 shares during the quarter. ASML comprises 0.2% of Grace & Mercy Foundation Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Grace & Mercy Foundation Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth $26,000. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its position in ASML by 78.9% in the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in ASML during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in ASML during the third quarter valued at $34,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ASML opened at $1,345.69 on Monday. ASML Holding N.V. has a twelve month low of $578.51 and a twelve month high of $1,547.22. The company has a market cap of $529.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,380.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,130.66.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be issued a dividend of $3.1771 per share. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 25.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on ASML shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Grupo Santander downgraded shares of ASML to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. KGI Securities set a $1,415.00 price objective on ASML and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated 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 issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,475.00.

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.