ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 2% - Here's What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) traded up 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $678.32 and last traded at $671.42. 479,094 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 1,629,511 shares. The stock had previously closed at $657.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $906.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $264.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.34, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $687.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $705.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.12 by $0.19. ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.90 billion. On average, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's payout ratio is presently 27.48%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in ASML by 70,115.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,400,800 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $9,282,120,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,805 shares during the period. Edgewood Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,208,615,000 after acquiring an additional 959,696 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 4,880.5% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 335,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $247,019,000 after acquiring an additional 328,552 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in ASML by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $559,494,000 after acquiring an additional 281,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in ASML during the 4th quarter valued at about $175,257,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by 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.