ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Short Interest Update

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,730,000 shares, a growth of 16.1% from the December 31st total of 1,490,000 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,040,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of ASML traded up $2.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $739.31. The company had a trading volume of 2,125,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,835,136. The company has a market capitalization of $290.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $719.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $775.53. ASML has a 1-year low of $645.45 and a 1-year high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 50.53%. Analysts expect that ASML will post 25.07 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a $1.6414 dividend. This is a boost from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its stake in ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 46.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASML has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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 upgraded 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

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.