ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $722.38, but opened at $740.00. ASML shares last traded at $742.82, with a volume of 335,891 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ASML shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ASML from $1,000.00 to $790.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group cut ASML from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered ASML from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $943.83.

ASML Stock Up 1.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $707.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $846.97. The firm has a market cap of $289.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.49.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.24 by $0.56. ASML had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 47.61%. The business had revenue of $8.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 20.68 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 29th were issued 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 0.77%. ASML's payout ratio is currently 29.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,977 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $4,980,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in ASML during the third quarter worth approximately $4,166,000. Milestone Resources Group Ltd increased its stake in ASML by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Milestone Resources Group Ltd now owns 14,115 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $11,761,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. FFG Partners LLC acquired a new position in ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at $341,000. Finally, American Trust raised its holdings in ASML by 191.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Trust now owns 1,238 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 813 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.