Westpac Banking Corp Acquires New Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 293 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $230,000. Cynosure Group LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,759,000. Scholtz & Company LLC grew its stake in ASML by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Scholtz & Company LLC now owns 2,509 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,739,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $330,000. Finally, Boston Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 105.1% during the 4th quarter. Boston Family Office LLC now owns 6,972 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,832,000 after buying an additional 3,572 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML stock opened at $605.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. ASML Holding has a fifty-two week low of $597.69 and a fifty-two week high of $1,110.09. The company has a market capitalization of $238.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $716.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $726.98.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.