Ithaka Group LLC Has $8.68 Million Stake in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)

Ithaka Group LLC lessened its position in shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,518 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 4,540 shares during the quarter. ASML makes up about 1.6% of Ithaka Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Ithaka Group LLC’s holdings in ASML were worth $8,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,186,222 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,654,921,000 after buying an additional 31,879 shares in the last quarter. Edgewood Management LLC grew its stake in ASML by 3.3% during the third quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 2,226,971 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,855,624,000 after buying an additional 70,776 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,239,421,000 after buying an additional 31,231 shares in the last quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 664,100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $553,361,000 after acquiring an additional 25,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. grew its position in ASML by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 402,758 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $335,598,000 after acquiring an additional 50,115 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Price Performance

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $703.37 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $733.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $742.38. ASML Holding has a 52-week low of $645.45 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company has a market cap of $276.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

About ASML

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.