ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 1.9% Higher – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price was up 1.9% on Monday . The company traded as high as $731.95 and last traded at $730.02. Approximately 284,302 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 1,526,491 shares. The stock had previously closed at $716.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ASML. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, 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. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

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 business has a 50-day moving average of $730.70 and a 200-day moving average of $733.15. The company has a market capitalization of $285.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is 31.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its stake in ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in ASML by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.