ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 1.9% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) were up 1.9% on Monday . The company traded as high as $742.97 and last traded at $741.66. Approximately 372,547 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 1,875,026 shares. The stock had previously closed at $727.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ASML. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $726.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $764.28. The company has a market capitalization of $297.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. As a group, analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 26.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the third quarter worth $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its stake in ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.