ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 1.9% – Still a Buy?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares shot up 1.9% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $754.60 and last traded at $750.68. 718,970 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 2,005,653 shares. The stock had previously closed at $736.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASML has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on 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 assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $293.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.85, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $718.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $777.78. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in ASML during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in ASML by 46.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT increased its position 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. 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.