ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 4.7% – Still a Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price shot up 4.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $1,415.97 and last traded at $1,413.01. 1,890,385 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 2,288,512 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,350.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,450.00 to $1,650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $1,200.00 price objective on ASML in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,475.00.

ASML Trading Up 4.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1,207.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,000.78. The firm has a market cap of $555.71 billion, a PE ratio of 54.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.89.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a $3.1771 dividend. This represents a $12.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 24.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of ASML by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 759 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $812,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,742 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,003,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $1,402,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 381.8% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,820 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $17,991,000 after purchasing an additional 13,329 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) is a Dutch company that develops, manufactures and services advanced photolithography systems used to produce semiconductor chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML supplies capital equipment and associated software and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to pattern the intricate circuits on silicon wafers. The company is widely recognized for its leadership in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as its deep ultraviolet (DUV) platforms used across multiple process nodes.

ASML’s product portfolio includes EUV and DUV lithography machines, light sources, imaging optics and control software, together with spare parts, upgrades and field services.