ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 3.4% – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) was up 3.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $1,476.50 and last traded at $1,468.72. Approximately 1,332,088 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 2,073,731 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,419.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,911.00 target price on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Grupo Santander cut ASML to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded ASML from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,475.00.

ASML Trading Up 3.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,257.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,044.44. The stock has a market cap of $577.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.88, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.89.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be given a dividend of $3.1771 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. This represents a $12.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. This is a boost from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in ASML by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $983,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the period. Sky Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Sky Investment Group LLC now owns 384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 365 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Management ETF Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ASML

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.