ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 3% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) traded up 3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $740.13 and last traded at $734.13. 1,212,618 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 1,988,369 shares. The stock had previously closed at $712.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the topic of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $290.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company’s 50-day moving average is $719.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $775.53.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 50.53% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.6414 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. This represents a $6.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. ASML’s payout ratio is 26.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its position in ASML by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter valued at $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $16,994,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in ASML by 5.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in ASML by 7.2% during the third quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $12,800,000 after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.