ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 2.8% – What’s Next?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) was up 2.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1,405.55 and last traded at $1,399.37. Approximately 1,431,479 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 1,933,353 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,360.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ASML shares. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded ASML from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on ASML from $1,450.00 to $1,650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,475.00.

ASML Stock Up 2.8%

The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,335.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,096.38. The company has a market cap of $550.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.88.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a $3.1771 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. ASML’s payout ratio is 25.10%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $2,140,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its stake in shares of ASML by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter valued at about $254,000. CFO Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter worth about $226,000. Finally, BDFS Capital LLC bought a new position in ASML during the 4th quarter worth about $608,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.