ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 2.8% Higher – What’s Next?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price was up 2.8% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $733.00 and last traded at $728.29. Approximately 631,418 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 1,509,858 shares. The stock had previously closed at $708.22.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ASML has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $288.07 billion, a PE ratio of 35.20, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $732.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $749.78.

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 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, equities analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% in 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 during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its stake in ASML by 740.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in ASML during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Company Profile

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.