ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 4.6% – Time to Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) were up 4.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $728.46 and last traded at $714.53. Approximately 2,745,768 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 45% from the average daily volume of 1,900,001 shares. The stock had previously closed at $683.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $718.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $777.78. The stock has a market cap of $290.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.6414 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This represents a $6.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its holdings in ASML by 227.3% in the fourth 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 period. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 46.9% in the third 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, Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in ASML by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.