ASML Holding N.V. $ASML Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 606,930 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 91,022 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $649,331,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 17.3% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,791,982,000 after buying an additional 577,448 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at about $505,510,000. Regents of The University of California purchased a new stake in ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $413,335,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in ASML by 75.6% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 790,869 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $765,632,000 after acquiring an additional 340,518 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in ASML by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,079,948,000 after acquiring an additional 305,435 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ASML News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ASML this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Elon Musk called ASML “the greatest company in Europe,” highlighting that his planned Terafab project would need large numbers of ASML’s advanced lithography tools. Why Elon Musk says ASML is the greatest company in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: ASML was highlighted as a top AI stock in billionaire Ken Fisher’s portfolio, which may support investor confidence in long-term demand for its EUV machines. ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) Is A Top AI Stock In Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: ASML was included among stocks positioned to benefit from surging semiconductor sales and AI-driven chip demand, keeping the company in favor with growth investors. 5 Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio on Soaring Semiconductor Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles reiterated that ASML remains one of the most important names in semiconductors and a stock some investors consider attractive for the long term, but these pieces were largely opinion-based rather than new company-specific catalysts. Is ASML Stock an Undervalued Semiconductor Stock to Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: A report about a Chinese startup claiming its nanoimprint technology can mass-produce optical chips without ASML equipment raises a potential long-term competitive threat to ASML’s market position. Chinese start-up claims nanoimprint tech can mass-produce optical chips without ASML gear

ASML Trading Up 6.5%

Shares of ASML stock opened at $1,749.04 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,499.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,348.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $687.86 billion, a PE ratio of 62.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.78. ASML Holding N.V. has a 1-year low of $683.48 and a 1-year high of $1,779.29.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 48.69% and a net margin of 27.65%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 36.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. Freedom Capital raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ASML from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,589.63.

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.