ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 3% Higher – Here’s What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price shot up 3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $740.13 and last traded at $734.13. 1,212,618 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 1,988,369 shares. The stock had previously closed at $712.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Berenberg Bank upgraded ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $289.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $716.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $778.07.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.61% and a net margin of 26.40%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 20.54 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 46.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in ASML during the third quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.