ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 0.9% – Here’s What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price shot up 0.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $665.67 and last traded at $668.58. 362,508 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 1,553,325 shares. The stock had previously closed at $662.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Trading Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $263.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $721.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $729.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its position in ASML by 740.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in ASML in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. develops, produces, markets, sells, and services advanced semiconductor equipment systems for chipmakers. It offers advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The company also provides extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; and deep ultraviolet lithography systems comprising immersion and dry lithography solutions to manufacture various range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.