Zacks Research Upgrades ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) to Strong-Buy

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on ASML. DZ Bank restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday. Freedom Capital upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered ASML from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, May 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,589.63.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML opened at $1,641.74 on Thursday. ASML has a one year low of $683.48 and a one year high of $1,779.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,490.67 and a 200-day moving average of $1,341.23. The company has a market capitalization of $645.66 billion, a PE ratio of 58.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.36.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 48.69% and a net margin of 27.65%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ASML will post 37.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 5.2% during the first quarter. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,664,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 141.1% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,553,000 after acquiring an additional 4,021 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 153.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 17,210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $11,404,000 after acquiring an additional 10,411 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in ASML by 1.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in ASML by 5.2% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,383 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,122,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently 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.