ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $1,633.80 and last traded at $1,628.2570, with a volume of 187335 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $1,592.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Freedom Capital raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays raised shares of ASML to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,504.38.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market cap of $640.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $1,428.21 and its 200-day moving average is $1,295.31.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 27.65% and a return on equity of 48.69%. The firm had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 37.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in ASML by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,484,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,798,268,000 after purchasing an additional 132,353 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in ASML by 17.3% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,791,982,000 after purchasing an additional 577,448 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in ASML by 16.6% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,079,948,000 after purchasing an additional 305,435 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its position in ASML by 24.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 385,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position 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 worth $1,805,733,000 after purchasing an additional 142,763 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.