ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 1.1% Higher Following Dividend Announcement

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price rose 1.1% on Tuesday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $742.69 and last traded at $738.80. Approximately 384,103 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 1,979,132 shares. The stock had previously closed at $731.06.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 26.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ASML shares. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Up 0.0 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $287.75 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $720.30 and its 200 day moving average is $771.01.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.31 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.0% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,186,222 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,654,921,000 after purchasing an additional 31,879 shares during the last quarter. Edgewood Management LLC grew its position in ASML by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 2,226,971 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,855,624,000 after purchasing an additional 70,776 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of ASML by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,788,280 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,239,421,000 after buying an additional 31,231 shares during the last quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 664,100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $553,361,000 after buying an additional 25,600 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 94,079.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 491,618 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,096,410,000 after buying an additional 491,096 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.