ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Short Interest Update

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 759,400 shares, a decline of 9.0% from the March 15th total of 834,700 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,210,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

ASML Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ ASML traded up $19.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $973.83. The stock had a trading volume of 715,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,185,413. The firm has a market cap of $384.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.50. ASML has a twelve month low of $563.99 and a twelve month high of $1,056.34. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $959.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $787.55.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The semiconductor company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. ASML had a return on equity of 68.32% and a net margin of 28.44%. The firm had revenue of $7.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.34 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ASML will post 20.46 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be paid a $1.343 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 26th. This represents a $5.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ASML shares. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of ASML from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on ASML from $830.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on ASML in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,036.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 14.6% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,923 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $153,573,000 after buying an additional 29,290 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in ASML by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 6,391 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,230,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in ASML by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,266 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,849,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the first quarter worth approximately $264,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 35.2% in the first quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 426 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.