ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 6.5% – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) shares were up 6.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $1,676.78 and last traded at $1,651.44. Approximately 2,157,639 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 13% from the average session volume of 1,912,864 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,550.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus set a $2,100.00 target price on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of ASML from $2,200.00 to $2,400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,700.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,970.33.

ASML Stock Up 6.5%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,761.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,534.62. The firm has a market cap of $649.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.38, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 52.71% and a net margin of 30.11%.The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ASML Holding N.V. will post 43.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be given a $2.1507 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $8.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.74%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Common Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the 1st quarter valued at $4,355,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 22,467 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $24,036,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. Bingham Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $1,444,000. Ervin Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 1,236.4% during the fourth quarter. Ervin Investment Management LLC now owns 33,037 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 30,565 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 65,354 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,920,000 after purchasing an additional 11,459 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.