ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 5.3% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) traded up 5.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $1,322.41 and last traded at $1,320.83. 1,723,269 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 1,858,910 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,253.96.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ASML. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on ASML from $1,550.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America increased their target price on ASML from $1,092.00 to $1,331.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Santander downgraded shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,482.50.

ASML Trading Down 2.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,396.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,180.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $519.91 billion, a PE ratio of 51.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.88.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a dividend of $3.1771 per share. This is a boost from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 1,150.0% in the fourth quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 25 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its holdings in ASML by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 27 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. 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.