ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 1.8% – What’s Next?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) rose 1.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $1,563.46 and last traded at $1,534.42. Approximately 1,449,787 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 1,750,897 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,507.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ASML. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $2,100.00 price objective on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, October 15th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $2,204.71.

ASML Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $591.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.77, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.80. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,669.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,601.18.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, September 27th. The semiconductor company reported $14.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $13.27 billion during the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 34.10% and a return on equity of 64.24%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 46.54 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 27th were issued a dividend of $2.1077 per share. This represents a $8.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a negative change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.1507. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 27th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.55%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $47,131,000. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its stake in ASML by 270.0% in the 3rd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in ASML by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $803,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Greenline Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 10.0% during the third quarter. Greenline Wealth Management LLC now owns 198 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 25.9% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,810 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $19,584,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. is a Netherlands-based technology company that develops and manufactures equipment used to produce semiconductor chips. Its systems are used by chipmakers to create the intricate patterns that form circuits on silicon wafers. The company’s products include extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems, along with metrology and inspection equipment, computational lithography software, and related services. ASML also supports customers with system maintenance, upgrades, and technical assistance.