ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 2.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) rose 2.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,873.69 and last traded at $1,847.90. Approximately 1,233,043 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 1,874,060 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,810.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ASML. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, July 17th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, May 8th. Freedom Capital raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded ASML from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,970.33.

ASML Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,775.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,561.96. The stock has a market cap of $726.74 billion, a PE ratio of 57.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.33.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 30.11% and a return on equity of 52.71%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were given a $2.1507 dividend. This represents a $8.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 28th. ASML’s payout ratio is 22.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of ASML by 195.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,544,705 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,652,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022,532 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in ASML by 223.7% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 287,225 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $379,368,000 after purchasing an additional 198,505 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in ASML by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,526,411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,633,046,000 after buying an additional 193,068 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of ASML by 21.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 849,602 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $822,492,000 after buying an additional 148,948 shares during the period. Finally, Sands Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Sands Capital Management LLC now owns 669,985 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $716,790,000 after buying an additional 140,821 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.