M&T Bank Corp Reduces Its Stake in ASML Holding

M&T Bank Corp has lowered its investment in ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) by 8.3% during the third quarter, based on the latest 13F filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After selling 1,574 shares, the bank now holds a total of 17,343 shares of ASML. As a result of these transactions, M&T Bank Corp's holdings in ASML were valued at approximately $14,451,000, according to their most recent SEC report.

Additionally, several institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ASML recently. For instance, Lantz Financial LLC acquired a new stake in the company during the second quarter, valued at $216,000. In a similar move, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 4.8% in the same quarter and now owns 31,292 shares with a valuation of approximately $32,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,429 shares. AdvisorNet Financial Inc. also increased its stake by 31.9%, bringing its total to 178 shares valued at $182,000, following the purchase of 43 extra shares. Furthermore, Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its investment in ASML by 15.6% with an ownership of 2,086 shares valued at $2,133,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares. Lastly, Abundance Wealth Counselors added to its holdings by 7.7%, now owning 571 shares valued at roughly $584,000.

Currently, 26.07% of ASML's stock is held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Overview

ASML has been recently analyzed by several brokerage firms. Morgan Stanley downgraded its rating from "overweight" to "equal weight" on September 20. Additionally, Wells Fargo & Company adjusted their price target for ASML from $1,000 to $790, maintaining an "overweight" rating, as per the research note released on October 17. Further reductions in price targets were made by Sanford C. Bernstein from $815 to $767, labeling the company as "outperform" on November 29. BNP Paribas initiated coverage with an "outperform" rating, setting a price target of $858. Lastly, Susquehanna reduced its target price from $1,300 to $1,100 while maintaining a "positive" rating. Currently, the stock enjoys three hold ratings, ten buy ratings, and two strong buy ratings. According to MarketBeat, ASML has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $943.83.

ASML's Stock Price Trends

As of Wednesday, ASML shares opened at $705.27. The company has shown a 50-day simple moving average of $718.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $855.80. Over the past year, ASML’s stock has traded between a low of $645.45 and a high of $1,110.09. Its market capitalization stands at $277.47 billion, with a PE ratio of 36.93 and a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 2.06. Notably, ASML also maintains a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.84, indicating a solid financial position.

Recent Earnings Results

ASML announced its earnings results on October 15, revealing an earnings per share (EPS) of $5.80, surpassing analysts' expectations of $5.24 by $0.56. The semiconductor firm reported a net margin of 26.40% alongside a return on equity of 47.61%. The company's revenue for the quarter was $8.21 billion, outpacing analysts' predictions of $7.66 billion. Forecasts indicate that ASML Holding is expected to achieve earnings per share of 20.68 for the current year.

Dividend Information

The company also declared a quarterly dividend recently, which was disbursed on November 7. Shareholders on record as of October 29 received a dividend of $1.407. The ex-dividend date for this payment was the same day, October 29. This equates to an annualized dividend of $5.63, translating to a yield of 0.80%. Currently, ASML’s dividend payout ratio is at 29.21%.

Company Overview

ASML Holding N.V. specializes in the development, production, marketing, and servicing of advanced equipment and systems for the semiconductor industry. This includes offering innovative lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The firm is recognized for providing extreme ultraviolet lithography systems and deep ultraviolet lithography systems, which play a crucial role in manufacturing various semiconductor nodes and technologies.

ASML, Shares, Bank