ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 6.7% Higher – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price traded up 6.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $1,282.00 and last traded at $1,273.88. 2,391,004 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 2,212,518 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,194.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ASML shares. Mizuho raised shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. DZ Bank reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Redburn Partners set a $1,200.00 price target on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of ASML from $1,105.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,270.67.

ASML Trading Up 6.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,070.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $921.09. The firm has a market cap of $501.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.86.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 29th were issued a dividend of $1.857 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 29th. This represents a $7.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 5.2% in the first quarter. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,664,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 141.1% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,553,000 after purchasing an additional 4,021 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 5.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,928 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $7,241,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 153.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 17,210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $11,404,000 after purchasing an additional 10,411 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

About ASML

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.