ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,430,000 shares, a drop of 14.4% from the January 31st total of 1,670,000 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,650,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days.
ASML opened at $708.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $732.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $750.10. ASML has a 1 year low of $645.45 and a 1 year high of $1,110.09. The stock has a market cap of $278.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99.
ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ASML will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.
The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.
ASML has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $937.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ASML
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its position in shares of ASML by 2,336.6% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 34,210 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $23,710,000 after purchasing an additional 32,806 shares during the period. Cim LLC increased its stake in ASML by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,681,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $963,000. Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $737,000. Finally, Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 3,340 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,315,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company's stock.
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.
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