ASML set a new European record for capitalization. The stock has added 61% this year
ASML broke Novo Nordisk's record and became the most expensive company in the history of Europe / Photo: EchoWang 00 / Shutterstock
The market value of the Dutch manufacturer of equipment for chip production ASML set a new record for Europe at the auction on June 3, Bloomberg reported. The value of ASML securities at the auction in Amsterdam grew by 2.3%. The company's capitalization at the peak reached the equivalent of $674 billion, surpassing the previous European maximum, which was set in 2024 by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, producing drugs for people with diabetes and overweight Ozempic and Wegovy, writes Bloomberg.
At the end of trading on Wednesday, ASML shares rose by 1.6%, and its market capitalization was €558.39 billion ($647.64 billion). Europe's most expensive company is only about at the end of the second ten world leaders in this indicator, behind, in addition to companies from the United States, also the oil giant Saudi Aramco and Korean Samsung and SK Hynix.
ASML's capitalization rose to a record thanks to the fact that the company's shares have risen 61% since the beginning of 2026, notes Bloomberg. This was facilitated by high demand for securities of issuers related to the construction of data centers for artificial intelligence.
This year ASML shows the second best result in the composition of the Euro Stoxx 50 blue chips index, but lags behind a basket of semiconductor sector stocks, which has almost doubled, Bloomberg notes. Now the market value of ASML in Europe exceeds the combined valuation of the next two largest giants - British banking conglomerate HSBC Holdings and Swiss pharmaceutical concern Roche Holding.
What the analysts are saying
Analysts at JPMorgan Chase on June 3 raised their target price for ASML shares to one of the highest levels among Wall Street brokers, from €1,515 to €1,900, saying investors are "behind the curve" in estimating the amount of equipment the company is able to sell in the next two years. The new target is 28% above Wednesday's closing level.
In May, UBS named ASML shares as the top pick in the European semiconductor sector and also set a target price of €1900, while raising its earnings forecasts for 2027 and 2028.
Analysts on Wall Street who follow ASML securities mostly advise to buy the stock - 35 out of 43, according to FactSet data. Another five advise to keep the securities in the portfolio, three think it is better to sell them.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
