ASML share jump on EUV demand

ASML raised its 2026 sales forecast on April 15 after first-quarter results beat expectations, reinforcing demand for the machines used to make the most advanced chips. (asml.com) The Dutch company reported first-quarter net sales of 8.8 billion euros, gross margin of 53.0%, and net income of 2.8 billion euros. It now expects 2026 sales of 36 billion to 40 billion euros, up from the 34 billion to 39 billion euro range it gave in January. (asml.com) Reuters reported that stronger artificial intelligence spending helped lift new orders for ASML’s tools, and the company said it should be able to ship 60 of its low numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet systems in 2026, up about 25% from 2025. ASML also said it has capacity for 80 such systems in 2027. (reuters.com, usnews.com) Extreme ultraviolet lithography is the step that projects tiny circuit patterns onto silicon wafers using very short-wavelength light. ASML is the only company that makes those machines at commercial scale, giving it a central role in producing leading-edge processors and memory chips. (asml.com, cnbc.com) That position has become more visible as chipmakers build hardware for artificial intelligence data centers. Reuters said demand is being pulled by both logic chip customers and memory makers, which need more advanced manufacturing tools to supply high-bandwidth memory and accelerator chips. (reuters.com) ASML sold 67 new lithography systems in the quarter, and installed-base management revenue rose to 2.5 billion euros from 2.1 billion euros in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company guided second-quarter sales to 8.4 billion to 9.0 billion euros with gross margin of 51% to 52%. (asml.com) The stock move was sharp before easing. Google Finance showed ASML trading at $1,450.89 late Wednesday morning after closing at $1,518.30 on April 14, while Yahoo Finance showed a 52-week high of $1,547.22 and a year-to-date gain above 40% in separate market coverage. (google.com, finance.yahoo.com, ibtimes.com.au) Not every analyst read the update the same way. CNBC reported that some investors had already expected stronger 2026 growth, and Barron’s said the earnings beat did not keep the rally going as traders focused on how much of the good news was already priced in. (cnbc.com, msn.com) ASML said in its results that it still sees 2025 and 2026 as growth years. For investors, the question after Wednesday’s jump is no longer whether chipmakers want more extreme ultraviolet tools, but how fast ASML can build and deliver them. (asml.com, reuters.com)