ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 2.3% Higher

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) were up 2.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $911.31 and last traded at $908.22. Approximately 375,281 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 1,216,719 shares. The stock had previously closed at $888.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna increased their price target on ASML from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays upgraded ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of ASML from $1,150.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,172.00 to $1,202.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,147.80.

ASML Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $954.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $955.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $350.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.49.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The semiconductor company reported $4.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by $0.14. ASML had a net margin of 26.50% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The business had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.37 EPS. ASML’s revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.3 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 29th were paid a $1.8732 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 29th. This represents a $7.49 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings in ASML by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 975 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank raised its position in shares of ASML by 4.2% in the first quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 273 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Investment Partners LTD. boosted its stake in ASML by 1.2% during the first quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $871,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its stake in ASML by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 1,134 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,159,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.