ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 6.5% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) rose 6.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,676.78 and last traded at $1,651.44. 2,157,639 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 13% from the average session volume of 1,912,864 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,550.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of ASML from $2,200.00 to $2,500.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of ASML from $1,971.00 to $2,623.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,970.33.

ASML Stock Up 6.5%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,761.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,534.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.33. The company has a market cap of $649.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.38, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.78.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its earnings results on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 52.71% and a net margin of 30.11%. On average, research analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 43.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 28th will be issued a dividend of $2.1507 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $8.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 22.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $662,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ASML by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $983,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. 44 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in ASML by 22.6% during the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) is a Dutch company that develops, manufactures and services advanced photolithography systems used to produce semiconductor chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML supplies capital equipment and associated software and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to pattern the intricate circuits on silicon wafers. The company is widely recognized for its leadership in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as its deep ultraviolet (DUV) platforms used across multiple process nodes.

ASML’s product portfolio includes EUV and DUV lithography machines, light sources, imaging optics and control software, together with spare parts, upgrades and field services.