ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Weiss Ratings upgraded the stock from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b-) rating. The stock traded as high as $1,060.50 and last traded at $1,059.52, with a volume of 469353 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,033.10.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Susquehanna upped their price target on ASML from $965.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, October 17th. New Street Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, October 6th. DZ Bank restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,051.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in ASML by 11.6% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,534 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Bestgate Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bestgate Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 379 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC bought a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $215,000. Finally, Moseley Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in ASML by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. now owns 350 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Trading Up 2.6%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $899.17 and a 200 day moving average of $792.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.31. The company has a market capitalization of $416.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.14, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.87.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.14. ASML had a return on equity of 47.74% and a net margin of 27.08%.The firm had revenue of $8.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.857 per share. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 29th. This represents a $7.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

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.