ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 4.6% – Time to Buy?

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shot up 4.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $728.46 and last traded at $714.53. 2,745,768 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 45% from the average session volume of 1,900,001 shares. The stock had previously closed at $683.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $946.60.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market capitalization of $281.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.47. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $715.62 and its 200 day moving average is $778.53.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued 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 return on equity of 47.61% and a net margin of 26.40%. As a group, analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 20.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 46.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 47 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in ASML during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.