ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 2.8% Higher – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shot up 2.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $733.00 and last traded at $728.29. 631,418 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 1,509,858 shares. The stock had previously closed at $708.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ASML. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 29th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $289.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $732.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $750.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Equities analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its stake in ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

About ASML

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.