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

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price rose 1.1% during trading 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 mid-day 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 issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on ASML shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on 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. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Trading Up 1.1 %

The company has a market cap of $290.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.52, a PEG 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $719.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $772.37.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 41.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,019,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in ASML by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,918 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,598,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. WealthBridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth $237,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of ASML by 1.1% in the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 3,217 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in ASML by 218.1% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,942 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,017 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.