ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Coverage Initiated at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued an outperform rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ASML. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded ASML from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. HSBC initiated coverage on ASML in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Redburn Atlantic upgraded ASML from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on ASML from $830.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on ASML from $850.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Five investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,036.00.

ASML Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of ASML stock opened at $859.54 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $339.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.48. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $958.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $793.71. ASML has a 1-year low of $563.99 and a 1-year high of $1,056.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The semiconductor company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $7.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.34 billion. ASML had a return on equity of 59.10% and a net margin of 27.23%. Analysts predict that ASML will post 20.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be given a $1.343 dividend. This represents a $5.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 26th. ASML’s payout ratio is 27.02%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Veracity Capital LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 161.2% during the first quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 700 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $679,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the first quarter worth $305,000. Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 4.1% during the first quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 1,721 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust Co. VA purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the first quarter worth $5,520,000. Finally, ZRC Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the first quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.