ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 3% – Here’s What Happened

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ASML. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Trading Up 0.3 %

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 firm has a market capitalization of $290.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $719.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $775.53.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 50.53%. Equities research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.07 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.6414 per share. This represents a $6.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in ASML during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its stake in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 46.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 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.