ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Rating Upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) was upgraded by stock analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on ASML. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Mizuho raised shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of ASML from $965.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,270.67.

ASML Stock Up 8.8%

ASML stock opened at $1,163.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $457.69 billion, a PE ratio of 47.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,058.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $910.30. ASML has a 12 month low of $578.51 and a 12 month high of $1,172.77.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $8.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. ASML had a net margin of 27.08% and a return on equity of 47.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that ASML will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in ASML by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,352,596 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,213,705,000 after purchasing an additional 108,342 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 17.3% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,791,982,000 after buying an additional 577,448 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in ASML by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,079,948,000 after acquiring an additional 305,435 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in ASML by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,861,445,000 after acquiring an additional 385,502 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in ASML by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,865,254 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,805,733,000 after acquiring an additional 142,763 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ASML

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.