ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 1% – What’s Next?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) rose 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1,688.66 and last traded at $1,682.30. Approximately 852,130 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 1,808,617 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,665.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASML has been the subject of several research reports. Argus set a $2,100.00 target price on ASML in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,700.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of ASML from $2,200.00 to $2,400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Morningstar downgraded ASML to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,970.33.

ASML Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,752.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,600.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $647.41 billion, a PE ratio of 51.22, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.79.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $10.62 billion during the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 52.71% and a net margin of 30.11%. On average, equities research analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 28th were issued a dividend of $2.1507 per share. This represents a $8.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. NBH Bank acquired a new position in ASML in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Binnacle Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of ASML by 78.9% during the 2nd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 1,150.0% during the 4th quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 25 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Field & Main Bank acquired a new position in ASML in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. 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.