ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 5% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• ASML jumped 5% to $1,357.42 on Monday (volume down ~7%), and Wall Street consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $1,475—several firms raised targets (RBC $1,625; BofA $1,331).
• The company announced a large quarterly dividend increase to $3.1771 (from $1.88), implying a $12.71 annualized payout and a 0.9% yield, while ASML trades at a PE of 52.57 with a market cap of about $533.9 billion.

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) rose 5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $1,359.00 and last traded at $1,357.42. Approximately 1,788,208 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 1,920,718 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,292.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ASML. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,092.00 to $1,331.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on ASML from $1,550.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, KGI Securities set a $1,415.00 target price on ASML and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,475.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,352.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,109.20. The firm has a market cap of $533.85 billion, a PE ratio of 52.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.88.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be given a dividend of $3.1771 per share. This is an increase from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in ASML by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,664,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 141.1% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,553,000 after purchasing an additional 4,021 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 153.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 17,210 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $11,404,000 after purchasing an additional 10,411 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of ASML by 1.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $936,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 16.2% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 122 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.

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