ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 2.5% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• ASML's stock price increased by 2.5%, reaching $739.41, despite a significant decline in trading volume.
• Analysts have a mixed outlook on ASML, with a target price average of $923.80 and ratings spanning from "strong buy" to "hold."
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.856, marking an increase from the previous dividend and representing a yield of 1.0%.

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) shares traded up 2.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $734.68 and last traded at $739.41. 310,663 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 1,741,497 shares. The stock had previously closed at $721.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASML has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $806.00 price objective for the company. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. DZ Bank lowered shares of ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $923.80.

ASML Stock Up 2.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.43. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $757.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $724.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $291.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.76.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The semiconductor company reported $4.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.94 by ($1.39). ASML had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 26.95%. The business had revenue of $8.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.01 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 29th were issued a $1.856 dividend. This represents a $7.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 29th. This is a positive change from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Putney Financial Group LLC increased its position in ASML by 322.2% in the 1st quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in ASML during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in ASML by 129.4% during the second quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 39 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ASML Company Profile

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.

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