ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 0.8% – Time to Buy?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price traded up 0.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $747.00 and last traded at $743.25. 488,257 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,757,799 shares. The stock had previously closed at $737.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ASML currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Trading Up 0.2 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $732.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $758.26. The company has a market cap of $290.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its stake in ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ASML during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.