ASML Holding N.V. (ASML)
ASML is the Dutch powerhouse that builds the incredibly complex machines required to print the world's most advanced computer chips.
Is ASML Holding N.V. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Unique monopoly position in a critical industry. Worth weighing: Very high valuation compared to typical companies.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does ASML Holding N.V. do?
Think of ASML as the gatekeeper of the digital age; they are the only company in the world that makes the extreme ultraviolet lithography machines needed to create the tiny, powerful chips inside your smartphone and AI systems. Its earnings stem from selling these multi-million pound machines and charging for the long-term maintenance and software updates that keep them running. Their fortunes rest on relentless innovation, since chipmakers constantly demand smaller, faster, and more efficient technology.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and momentum, and weakest on value.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 0.5% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 21% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 30% of sales into profit
- !High P/E of 61 - big growth is already priced in
- ✓Low debt - a sturdier balance sheet
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 54%)
- Quality screens high
- Momentum screens high
- Value screens low
Does ASML Holding N.V. pay a dividend?
Yes - ASML Holding N.V. currently pays a dividend of about 0.5% a year, which is £5.20 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →
What do the numbers say about ASML Holding N.V.'s dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
Most recent ex-dividend date: 28 Jul 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →
Does ASML Holding N.V. have more cash or more debt?
It holds about €7.58B in cash against about €1.98B of debt - so it has net cash of about €5.60B. More cash than debt is a cushion: it does not need to borrow just to cover what it owes.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do ASML Holding N.V.'s numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has ASML Holding N.V. actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, ASML Holding N.V. fell as much as −37% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
What do you actually own with ASML?
This US listing is made up of New York Registry Shares. Unlike a depositary receipt, these are ASML Holding N.V.'s actual ordinary shares, registered for trading in the US and quoted in US dollars - so there is no depositary bank issuing receipts against them, and no per-receipt custody fee.
- Two currencies are involved. ASML Holding N.V. reports its results in euros, while the listing itself trades in US dollars. Exchange-rate moves therefore affect the value alongside the movement of the underlying shares.
- Dividends cross a border. Any dividend is paid from the Netherlands and converted into US dollars, and withholding tax there can be deducted before it reaches you.
This describes how the listing is put together, using its registered security type. It is context about the instrument, not a view on the company.
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns ASML Holding N.V.?
About 20% of ASML Holding N.V., or about 20 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds. The rest, roughly 80%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does ASML Holding N.V. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of ASML Holding N.V.'s sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £47 covers making the product or service, £23 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £30 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
When does ASML Holding N.V. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
ASML Holding N.V. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-14 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-13 | $6.90 | $7.58 | Beat +10% |
| 2026-04-14 | $6.62 | $7.15 | Beat +8% |
| 2026-01-27 | $7.55 | $7.34 | Missed -3% |
| 2025-10-15 | $5.37 | $5.49 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-07-16 | $5.25 | $5.90 | Beat +12% |
| 2025-04-16 | $5.79 | $6.00 | Beat +4% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, ASML Holding N.V. came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for ASML Holding N.V.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
ASML maintains its monopoly on advanced chip printing
A breakthrough in alternative chip-making technology
What are the pros and cons of ASML Holding N.V.?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Unique monopoly position in a critical industry
- High profit margins reflecting strong pricing power
- Essential role in the global AI and computing supply chain
- Very high valuation compared to typical companies
- Small dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. may not appeal to income-focused investors
- High share price volatility
- Geopolitical tensions affecting trade with major markets
- Heavy reliance on a small number of large customers
- Risk of technological disruption from new manufacturing methods
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant drop in the company's gross margins
- A major competitor successfully launching a rival machine
- A sustained decline in global semiconductor capital expenditure
Common questions about ASML Holding N.V.
Does ASML Holding N.V. pay a dividend?
Yes - ASML Holding N.V. currently pays a dividend of about 0.5% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.
When does ASML Holding N.V. report earnings next?
ASML Holding N.V. is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-14. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
More in Technology
Astera Labs, Inc.
BlackBerry Limited
Twilio Inc.
UiPath, Inc.
Okta, Inc.
SentinelOne, Inc.
IonQ, Inc.
Cloudflare, Inc.Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.