Why ASML Holding Stock Slumped This Morning
ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) stock fell 4.2% through 11:40 a.m. ET after the maker of semiconductor chip manufacturing equipment reported mixed earnings in its Q3 earnings Wednesday morning.
Heading into Q3, analysts had forecast ASML would earn about $4.85 per share on sales of $7.1 billion. As it turned out, ASML's revenues came in just under 6.7 billion euros (a little more than $7 billion, so a "miss" on sales). On the other hand, ASML earned 4.81 euros for the quarter, which works out to $5.08 -- resulting in a "beat" on earnings.
Investors aren't exactly thrilled with ASML's results, and they're not entirely wrong to be disappointed. Sales grew nearly 25% in comparison to last year's Q3, which is a great start, and gross profits margins inched up 10 basis points. However, rising operating costs resulted in an 80-basis point decline in the operating profit margin, and ASML's net profit margin fell one full percentage point (100 basis points).
Source Fool.com
