ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Up 1.9% After Dividend Announcement

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 1.9% during trading on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $754.60 and last traded at $750.68. 718,970 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 2,005,653 shares. The stock had previously closed at $736.99.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's payout ratio is currently 26.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $721.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $769.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $291.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 24.5% in the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 61 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 21.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 80 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of ASML by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,223,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Point Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $420,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 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.