ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 4.8% – Should You Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) shares shot up 4.8% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $1,646.53 and last traded at $1,707.11. 1,057,977 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 1,577,295 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,628.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Freedom Capital raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,750.00 target price on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,504.38.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $671.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,463.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,324.15.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 earnings per share for the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 48.69% and a net margin of 27.65%.The company had revenue of $10.15 billion for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 37.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in ASML by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,484,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,798,268,000 after buying an additional 132,353 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in ASML by 17.3% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,791,982,000 after buying an additional 577,448 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in ASML by 16.6% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,079,948,000 after buying an additional 305,435 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in ASML by 24.9% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,861,445,000 after buying an additional 385,502 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in ASML by 8.3% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,865,254 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,805,733,000 after buying an additional 142,763 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.