asml executes share buyback program amid market shifts
Veldhoven, Friday, 18 April 2025.
asml holding n.v. has released details on its ongoing share buyback program, a move reflecting its capital allocation strategy. on april 14 and 15, the company repurchased 108,722 and 107,327 shares, respectively, at weighted average prices of €596.15 and €603.93. these buybacks totaled approximately €64.8 million each day. the program, initially announced in november 2022, aims to return value to shareholders amidst evolving market dynamics and uncertainties, including potential impacts from tariffs and ai-driven demand.
first quarter financial highlights
asml’s first quarter 2025 financial results showed a net sales figure of €7.7 billion with a gross margin of 54% and a net profit of €2.4 billion [3]. new orders for the quarter totaled €3.9 billion, which included €1.2 billion from extreme ultraviolet (euv) lithography systems [3]. the company shipped 73 new lithography systems and 4 used systems during the quarter [3]. earnings per share amounted to €6 [3]. the company held €9.1 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments at the quarter’s end, a decrease from €12.74 billion at the close of 2024 [3].
shareholder returns and capital allocation
asml is committed to returning value to its shareholders. the company plans to declare a total dividend for 2024 of €6.4 per ordinary share, an increase of 4.9% compared to 2023 [3]. taking into account the three interim dividends of €1.52 per ordinary share paid in 2024 and 2025, the final dividend proposed to the general meeting is €1.84 per ordinary share [3]. in the first quarter of 2025, asml repurchased approximately €2.7 billion worth of shares under its 2022-2025 share buyback program [3].
ceo’s perspective and market outlook
asml president and ceo christophe fouquet noted that the first quarter’s net sales and gross margin exceeded expectations due to a favorable euv product mix and achievement of product performance metrics [3]. the company shipped its fifth high numerical aperture euv system, with three customers now utilizing it [3]. fouquet anticipates potential for growth in 2025 and 2026, driven by artificial intelligence [2][3]. he also cautioned about uncertainties from recently announced tariff policies, which could impact the overall market [2][3].
tariff impact and mitigation strategies
chief financial officer roger dassen outlined four categories of potential tariff impacts: tariffs on systems shipped to the us, tariffs on parts and tools used in us operations, tariffs on materials imported into the us for manufacturing, and tariffs imposed by other countries on goods shipped from the us [2]. asml is collaborating with the semiconductor ecosystem to minimize these effects [2]. dassen acknowledged the difficulty in quantifying the indirect impacts of tariffs on global economic growth and market demand [2]. despite these uncertainties, asml maintains its revenue outlook for 2025 between €30 billion and €35 billion [2].
second quarter and full year 2025 expectations
asml anticipates second-quarter net sales between €7.2 billion and €7.7 billion, with a gross margin of 50% to 53% [3]. research and development costs are projected at around €1.2 billion, and sales and management expenses at approximately €300 million [3]. the company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 net sales forecast of €30 billion to €35 billion, with a gross margin of 51% to 53% [3]. these estimates consider the uncertainties associated with evolving tariff policies and other market dynamics [2][3].