ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 1.6% – What’s Next?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares shot up 1.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $769.50 and last traded at $768.48. 478,187 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 1,793,298 shares. The stock had previously closed at $756.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ASML. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research 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 company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of 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, DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 3.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $295.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $729.36 and a 200-day moving average of $763.48.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 26.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 740.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 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.