ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Lowered to “Neutral” at UBS Group

UBS Group cut shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on ASML. Barclays upgraded shares of ASML from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of ASML from $1,172.00 to $1,202.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on ASML from $1,150.00 to $1,185.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on ASML from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,147.80.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ASML opened at $811.48 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $935.85 and its 200-day moving average is $952.83. ASML has a 52-week low of $563.99 and a 52-week high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $320.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.44, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.49.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The semiconductor company reported $4.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.87 by $0.14. ASML had a net margin of 26.50% and a return on equity of 49.93%. The company had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.37 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that ASML will post 20.3 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 29th were paid a $1.8732 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 29th. This represents a $7.49 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 28.55%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Clear Rock Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 30.2% during the second quarter. Clear Rock Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $454,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the second quarter worth approximately $252,000. KPP Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of ASML by 22.9% during the second quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 944 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $965,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of ASML by 5.7% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,692 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,254,000 after buying an additional 1,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ted Buchan & Co bought a new stake in shares of ASML during the second quarter worth approximately $3,350,000. 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.