ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $937.00.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ASML. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at about $16,994,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in ASML by 5.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of ASML by 7.2% during the third quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $12,800,000 after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML opened at $744.80 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $731.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $760.09. 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 has a 12 month low of $645.45 and a 12 month high of $1,110.09. The company has a market cap of $293.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.81, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ASML will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 25.67%.

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.