ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Upgraded to “Buy” at Rothschild & Co Redburn

Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ASML. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on ASML from $1,105.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded ASML from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,076.33.

ASML Trading Down 1.2%

ASML stock traded down $12.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,016.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,840,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,687,190. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $399.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $952.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $815.89. ASML has a 1 year low of $578.51 and a 1 year high of $1,086.11.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $8.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. ASML had a net margin of 27.08% and a return on equity of 47.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ASML will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th were given a dividend of $1.857 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 29th. This represents a $7.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $25,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in ASML by 153.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc grew its stake in ASML by 78.9% during the 2nd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

About ASML

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.