ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 0.2% – Here’s Why

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) traded up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $718.30 and last traded at $708.25. 299,946 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 1,450,269 shares. The stock had previously closed at $706.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASML has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of ASML from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $943.83.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $718.47 and a 200-day moving average of $855.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.24 by $0.56. ASML had a return on equity of 47.61% and a net margin of 26.40%. The business had revenue of $8.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th were given a $1.407 dividend. This represents a $5.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 29th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.21%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in ASML during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ASML during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ASML

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.