ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 3.8%

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) was up 3.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $878.39 and last traded at $875.11. Approximately 491,233 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 1,230,721 shares. The stock had previously closed at $843.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ASML. Barclays upgraded ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of ASML from $1,150.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on ASML from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,147.80.

ASML Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $333.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $991.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $953.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.52.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The semiconductor company reported $4.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.87 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6 billion. ASML had a return on equity of 49.93% and a net margin of 26.50%. ASML’s revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.37 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.8732 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 29th. This represents a $7.49 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change 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 have recently modified their holdings of the business. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $341,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in ASML by 97.4% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,066 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth $149,000. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the 4th quarter valued at $255,000. 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.