ASML Holding N.V. $ASML Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 34.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,583 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,001 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $15,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $202,000. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ASML by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 2,184 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,264,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of ASML by 8.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 345 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,390,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of ASML by 17.0% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,503 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,911.00 price objective on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,475.00.

ASML Stock Performance

Shares of ASML opened at $1,429.49 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $562.19 billion, a PE ratio of 55.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.89. ASML Holding N.V. has a 12-month low of $578.51 and a 12-month high of $1,493.47. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,221.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,014.70.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be issued a $3.1771 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. This represents a $12.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.55%.

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.