ASML Holding 4Q Profit, Sales Beat Expectations

By Adria Calatayud

ASML Holding NV said Wednesday that net profit and sales for the fourth quarter rose, topping expectations, and that it expects double-digit sales growth in the year ahead.

Net profit for the quarter rose to 1.35 billion euros ($1.64 billion) from EUR1.13 billion for the same period of 2019, the Dutch maker of semiconductor equipment said. Analysts expected ASML to post a net profit of EUR1.02 billion, according to a consensus taken from FactSet and based on estimates by seven analysts.

Quarterly net sales were EUR4.25 billion, up from EUR4.04 billion a year earlier. This compares with expectations of EUR3.73 billion, according to a FactSet-provided consensus based on estimates by 19 analysts.

The company said net bookings were EUR4.2 billion in the fourth quarter. This included bookings for six units of its most advanced technology, called extreme ultraviolet lithography or EUV.

ASML said it expects first-quarter net sales to be between EUR3.9 billion and EUR4.1 billion, with a gross margin of between 50% and 51%.

The company declared a final dividend of EUR1.55 a share, taking its total payout for the year to EUR2.75 a share, a 15% increase on year.

Write to Adria Calatayud at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 20, 2021 01:34 ET (06:34 GMT)

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