ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 732,200 shares, a growth of 5.4% from the May 15th total of 694,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,030,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

ASML Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of ASML stock traded up $16.13 on Tuesday, reaching $1,068.60. 626,493 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,140,709. The company has a market capitalization of $421.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.49. ASML has a 52 week low of $563.99 and a 52 week high of $1,077.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $948.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $888.12.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The semiconductor company reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.73 billion. ASML had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 27.23%. Sell-side analysts predict that ASML will post 20.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $1.343 per share. This represents a $5.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 26th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First PREMIER Bank boosted its position in shares of ASML by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 273 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Investment Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in ASML by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 126 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Slow Capital Inc. raised its position in ASML by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 4,407 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,336,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its stake in ASML by 4.7% during the first quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. HSBC started coverage on ASML in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of ASML from $1,150.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on ASML from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 12th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised ASML from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,043.00.

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.