ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 3.5% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) were up 3.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $690.51 and last traded at $690.05. Approximately 436,644 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 1,634,104 shares. The stock had previously closed at $666.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ASML. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $906.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $271.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.19, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $680.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $702.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.90 billion. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Equities analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.6414 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This represents a $6.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Putney Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 322.2% in the 1st quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its stake in ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 740.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the first quarter worth $35,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.