ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Up 3.5% - Here's What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) rose 3.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $690.51 and last traded at $690.05. Approximately 436,644 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 1,634,104 shares. The stock had previously closed at $666.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna cut their target price 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, DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $906.00.

ASML Price Performance

The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $679.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $702.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $268.00 billion, a PE ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.75.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Putney Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 322.2% during 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 last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its position in ASML by 740.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors 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.