ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 4.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) shot up 4.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $1,717.56 and last traded at $1,711.89. Approximately 1,521,000 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 1,904,960 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,642.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on ASML from $1,700.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,970.33.

ASML Stock Up 4.2%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,762.39 and a 200-day moving average of $1,542.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $673.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.26, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 52.71% and a net margin of 30.11%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.68 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be paid a dividend of $2.1507 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $8.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Common Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML in the first quarter valued at $4,355,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in ASML by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 22,467 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $24,036,000 after buying an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. Bingham Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter worth about $1,444,000. Ervin Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 1,236.4% during the 4th quarter. Ervin Investment Management LLC now owns 33,037 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 30,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its position in ASML by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 65,354 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,920,000 after acquiring an additional 11,459 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.