Stockman Wealth Management Increases ASML Holding Shares

Stockman Wealth Management Inc. has boosted its investment in ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) by 7.2% during the third quarter of the year. This information comes from the firm’s latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following this increase, Stockman now holds a total of 15,361 shares in the semiconductor company, having added an additional 1,032 shares during the quarter. ASML represents approximately 2.0% of Stockman Wealth Management Inc.'s overall portfolio, making it the 15th largest holding in their investment strategy. As of the end of the most recent reporting period, the value of Stockman’s holdings in ASML reached around $12.8 million.

Activity of Other Institutional Investors

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made purchases and sales regarding ASML shares recently. Notably, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in ASML by 37.0% during the third quarter, owning now 1,757,049 shares valued at approximately $1.46 billion after acquiring an additional 474,653 shares. Moreover, GQG Partners LLC increased its stake in ASML by 21.6% in the first quarter, now owning 1,657,878 shares worth around $1.6 billion after purchasing an additional 294,784 shares. Janus Henderson Group PLC also increased its participation by 18.9% in the first quarter, taking its total to 1,220,210 shares valued at approximately $1.18 billion after buying an additional 194,357 shares. In another significant move, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV saw its stake rise by an impressive 4,379.6% in the second quarter, now owning 889,875 shares valued at approximately $910.1 million. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP made a modest increase of 0.3% in the second quarter, bringing their total to 817,709 shares valued at around $836.3 million. Overall, 26.07% of ASML's stock is currently held by various hedge funds and institutional investors.

ASML Stock Performance Overview

In terms of market performance, ASML shares traded at $669.47 after a decline of $7.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, with a total of 1,726,789 shares exchanged. This trading volume is in contrast to the average volume of 2,990,437 shares. The company maintains a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.55, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Its stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $771.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $889.55. Over the past year, ASML has experienced a low of $633.85 and a high of $1,110.09. The firm's market capitalization stands at $263.38 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05 and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91, alongside a beta of 1.51.

Latest Financial Results and Dividend Announcement

ASML released its quarterly earnings data on October 15, reporting an earnings per share (EPS) of $5.80, which surpassed the consensus expectation of $5.24 by $0.56. The company achieved a revenue of $8.21 billion in this quarter, exceeding analysts' forecasts of $7.66 billion. ASML demonstrated a return on equity of 47.61% and a net margin of 26.40%. Analysts predict that ASML will post an EPS of 20.77 for the current fiscal year. Recently, the company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.407, which was paid to shareholders on November 7, for those who were registered by October 29. This translates to an annualized dividend of $5.63, yielding a dividend rate of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date for this payment was on October 29. Currently, ASML’s dividend payout ratio is noted at 29.21%.

Analyst Price Targets and Ratings

ASML has been the subject of various recent research reports which have adjusted their price targets for the stock. For instance, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price from $1,052.00 to $815.00 while maintaining an "outperform" rating on October 21. Similarly, Susquehanna lowered their target from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00, rating the stock as "positive" on October 11. UBS Group downgraded ASML from "buy" to "neutral" on September 4. Additionally, Wells Fargo lowered their price target from $1,000.00 to $790.00 with an "overweight" rating. Barclays, conversely, upgraded the stock from "equal weight" to "overweight" in July. Overall, three analysts rated the stock as hold, nine gave a buy rating, and two assigned a strong buy rating, resulting in an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $970.60.

About ASML Holding N.V.

ASML Holding N.V. specializes in the development, production, marketing, selling, and servicing of advanced semiconductor equipment systems tailored for chipmakers. The company provides a variety of advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. It is also known for its extreme ultraviolet lithography systems and deep ultraviolet lithography systems, which cater to different semiconductor nodes and technologies.

ASML, Stocks, Investment