ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 1.3% Higher – Should You Buy?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) shares shot up 1.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $1,060.28 and last traded at $1,054.9250. 939,560 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 1,672,445 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,040.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, October 10th. Zacks Research upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ASML has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,076.33.

ASML Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,010.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $848.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $414.89 billion, a PE ratio of 42.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $8.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. ASML had a net margin of 27.08% and a return on equity of 47.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th were given a dividend of $1.857 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 29th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $7.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at $25,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 153.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its stake in ASML by 78.9% in the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in ASML during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.