ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 1.4% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shot up 1.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $713.50 and last traded at $707.25. 640,276 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 1,758,136 shares. The stock had previously closed at $697.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Trading Up 1.6 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $733.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $754.07.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its 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 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. On average, research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn FI LLC purchased a new position in ASML during the 4th quarter worth $963,000. Brucke Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter worth about $737,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of ASML by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 3,340 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,315,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $191,000. Finally, LM Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 270.9% in the 4th quarter. LM Advisors LLC now owns 1,083 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.