ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Now Covered by BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) in a research report released on Tuesday. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $858.00 price target on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on ASML. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group cut shares of ASML from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $943.83.

ASML Stock Performance

NASDAQ ASML opened at $718.06 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $728.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $861.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $282.50 billion, a PE ratio of 37.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.84. ASML has a 1 year low of $645.45 and a 1 year high of $1,110.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.24 by $0.56. ASML had a return on equity of 47.61% and a net margin of 26.40%. The company had revenue of $8.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. Analysts predict that ASML will post 20.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th were given a dividend of $1.407 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 29th. This represents a $5.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 29.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASML. American Trust increased its holdings in ASML by 191.3% during the 3rd quarter. American Trust now owns 1,238 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its stake in ASML by 89.9% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 7,551 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,291,000 after acquiring an additional 3,575 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in ASML by 4.9% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 475 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Destination Wealth Management increased its position in ASML by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 27,599 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $22,996,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $1,438,000. 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.