ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 2% Following Dividend Announcement

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price rose 2% during trading on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $922.04 and last traded at $918.55. Approximately 333,337 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 1,230,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $900.90.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be paid a $1.343 dividend. This represents a $5.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 26th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI started coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on ASML from $1,050.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. HSBC started coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of ASML from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,036.00.

ASML Stock Up 2.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $955.81 and a 200 day moving average of $802.24.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The semiconductor company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. ASML had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 27.23%. The company had revenue of $7.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.34 billion. As a group, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of ASML by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,067,413 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $628,344,000 after buying an additional 274,562 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 48,040.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 245,999 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $186,202,000 after acquiring an additional 245,488 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in ASML by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 776,768 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $587,951,000 after acquiring an additional 203,860 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $150,318,000. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 106.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 336,956 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $198,353,000 after purchasing an additional 173,813 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. develops, produces, markets, sells, and services advanced semiconductor equipment systems for chipmakers. It offers advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The company also provides extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; and deep ultraviolet lithography systems comprising immersion and dry lithography solutions to manufacture various range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.