ASML’s stock has more than doubled over the past year, but the rally is not just euphoria. Institutional investors are piling in, the company is massively expanding its Taiwanese workforce, and analysts see the shares climbing further even after a 43% gain since January.
Coatue Management, the vehicle of billionaire Philippe Laffont, recently bought nearly 500,000 additional shares. FMR LLC went bigger, adding around 1.6 million. These moves follow a clear logic: ASML holds a global monopoly on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, the only machines capable of producing the advanced chips that power artificial-intelligence data centers. For long-horizon investors, that makes the Dutch firm hard to replace.
Analysts are echoing that view. UBS lifted its price target on ASML from 1,600 to 1,900 euros, naming the stock a top pick in the European semiconductor sector. The bank argues that a persistent chip shortage could extend investment cycles into 2028. Goldman Sachs followed with an upgraded target of 1,600 euros. At roughly 1,414 euros, the shares trade just below a fresh 52-week high of 1,420.80 euros set on May 25.
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The optimism is grounded in concrete operational expansion. ASML has raised its hiring goal for Taiwan from 600 to 1,000 new employees by 2026, driven by what management calls “insatiable demand” for AI chips. Taiwan already hosts about 10% of the group’s global workforce — more than 4,500 people — and generates around 8.3 billion euros in annual revenue, or 25.5% of total sales. The new roles span customer service, manufacturing, and supply-chain management, areas critical to supporting clients like TSMC as it ramps advanced chip production. A third ASML facility is under construction in New Taipei City.
On the technology front, ASML is approaching its next leap. The first chips produced on the high-NA EUV platform are expected in the coming months, with early adopters including Intel and SK Hynix using the systems for structures below two nanometers. This next-generation lithography will underpin ASML’s long-term competitive moat. Meanwhile, the company is preparing for a generational leadership transition: Marco Pieters will take over as chief technology officer just as initial high-NA data begins to flow.
Financially, the numbers are backing the story. ASML reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of 8.8 billion euros, net profit of 2.8 billion euros, and a gross margin of 53%. For the full year, management now targets revenue between 36 billion and 40 billion euros, with gross margins of 51% to 53% — guidance that already factors in export controls and geopolitical risks. The sheer scale of Taiwan’s contribution underscores the region’s centrality: local chipmakers are aggressively expanding capacity to address the global shortage of high-performance semiconductors, keeping ASML’s order books full for the foreseeable future.
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