ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 2.7% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) shares shot up 2.7% during trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $1,175.00 to $1,275.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a buy rating on the stock. ASML traded as high as $1,091.30 and last traded at $1,088.8430. 2,099,569 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 25% from the average session volume of 1,674,299 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,060.00.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on ASML. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, October 17th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Arete Research raised ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,093.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 153.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. City Holding Co. bought a new position in ASML in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in ASML during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc lifted its holdings in ASML by 78.9% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,013.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $851.95. The firm has a market cap of $428.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.32, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.14. ASML had a return on equity of 47.74% and a net margin of 27.08%.The firm had revenue of $8.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 29th were given a $1.857 dividend. This represents a $7.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 29th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 25.76%.

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.