ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 1.2%

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) was up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $1,041.71 and last traded at $1,028.35. Approximately 259,653 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 1,134,873 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,016.60.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on ASML from $1,150.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on ASML from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ASML presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,043.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $407.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.45, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $958.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $903.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The semiconductor company reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.73 billion. ASML had a net margin of 27.23% and a return on equity of 56.99%. On average, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 29th were paid a $1.343 dividend. This represents a $5.37 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 26th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.53%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in shares of ASML by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 273 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Investment Partners LTD. lifted its stake in ASML by 1.2% during the first quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its position in shares of ASML by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 126 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Slow Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of ASML by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 4,407 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,336,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. 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.