ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 5% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) rose 5% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $1,447.49 and last traded at $1,424.75. 1,900,614 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 9% from the average session volume of 1,749,875 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,356.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $2,100.00 price objective on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 17th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday, September 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2,204.71.

ASML Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,677.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,599.85. The company has a market cap of $549.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its earnings results on Sunday, September 27th. The semiconductor company reported $14.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $13.27 billion during the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 64.24% and a net margin of 34.10%. As a group, analysts predict that ASML Holding N.V. will post 46.54 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 27th were given a $2.1077 dividend. This represents a $8.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a negative change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.1507. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 27th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 17.55%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Channel Wealth LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 3,778 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,844,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its stake in ASML by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 831 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,505,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd lifted its holdings in ASML by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 1,534 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,779,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in ASML by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,251 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $8,458,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. boosted its position in ASML by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. now owns 2,037 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,690,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. is a Netherlands-based technology company that develops and manufactures equipment used to produce semiconductor chips. Its systems are used by chipmakers to create the intricate patterns that form circuits on silicon wafers.

The company’s products include extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems, along with metrology and inspection equipment, computational lithography software, and related services. ASML also supports customers with system maintenance, upgrades, and technical assistance.

Founded in 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International, ASML is headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands.