ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and four have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,076.3333.

ASML has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ASML from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. DZ Bank restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, New Street Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday, October 6th.

ASML Trading Down 1.5%

ASML stock opened at $966.57 on Friday. ASML has a 12-month low of $578.51 and a 12-month high of $1,086.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,000.20 and a 200 day moving average of $839.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 29th were issued a $1.857 dividend. This represents a $7.43 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 29th. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 25.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in ASML by 153.8% during the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. bought a new position in ASML during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 78.9% in the 2nd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.