Short Interest in ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) Expands By 26.4%

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,440,000 shares, an increase of 26.4% from the March 31st total of 1,930,000 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,900,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

ASML Stock Down 0.2 %

ASML stock opened at $666.72 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $681.63 and its 200 day moving average is $702.55. The firm has a market cap of $262.30 billion, a PE ratio of 32.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. ASML has a one year low of $578.51 and a one year high of $1,110.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $0.19. ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.90 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that ASML will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.6414 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This represents a $6.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its stake in ASML by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of ASML by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,223,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $420,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $772,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Quarterback LLC raised its stake in ASML by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC now owns 1,331 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $923,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on 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. DZ Bank raised shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $906.00.

About ASML

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.