Essex Financial Services Inc. Acquires 393 Shares of ASML Holding N.V. $ASML

Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,669 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in ASML were worth $3,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ASML. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 6.3% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,244,254 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,401,304,000 after purchasing an additional 250,934 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,861,445,000 after acquiring an additional 385,502 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in ASML by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 763,590 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $611,933,000 after acquiring an additional 37,994 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in ASML by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 583,093 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $467,285,000 after acquiring an additional 72,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 448,798 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $359,662,000 after acquiring an additional 8,070 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of ASML opened at $1,419.78 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $558.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.89. ASML Holding N.V. has a 1 year low of $578.51 and a 1 year high of $1,493.47. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,257.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,044.44.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a $3.1771 dividend. This represents a $12.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 25.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays upgraded ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,475.00.

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.