ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 1% – Here’s Why

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares were up 1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $708.88 and last traded at $707.30. Approximately 255,134 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 669,303 shares. The stock had previously closed at $700.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ASML shares. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered ASML from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $943.83.

ASML Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $281.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.40, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $693.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $817.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.24 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $8.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.66 billion. ASML had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 47.61%. Research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 29th were issued a dividend of $1.407 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 29th. This represents a $5.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 29.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new stake in ASML in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 46.9% during 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, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.