ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 1% – Still a Buy?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price rose 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $750.69 and last traded at $749.97. Approximately 384,832 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,841,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $742.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 research note on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $295.07 billion, a PE ratio of 36.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $725.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $765.23.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. Sell-side analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s payout ratio is 26.83%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of ASML by 24.5% in the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of ASML by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,223,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $420,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Sunpointe LLC grew its position in ASML by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $772,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.