ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 4% – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) traded up 4% on Monday . The company traded as high as $1,400.39 and last traded at $1,369.62. 1,975,682 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 6% from the average session volume of 1,866,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,317.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised shares of ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,475.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $538.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,393.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,152.43.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a dividend of $3.1771 per share. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 25.10%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,484,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,798,268,000 after buying an additional 132,353 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of ASML by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,791,982,000 after purchasing an additional 577,448 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in ASML by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,079,948,000 after buying an additional 305,435 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in ASML by 24.9% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,861,445,000 after buying an additional 385,502 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in ASML by 8.3% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,865,254 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,805,733,000 after buying an additional 142,763 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) is a Dutch company that develops, manufactures and services advanced photolithography systems used to produce semiconductor chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML supplies capital equipment and associated software and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to pattern the intricate circuits on silicon wafers. The company is widely recognized for its leadership in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as its deep ultraviolet (DUV) platforms used across multiple process nodes.

ASML’s product portfolio includes EUV and DUV lithography machines, light sources, imaging optics and control software, together with spare parts, upgrades and field services.