By Najat Kantouar and Joe Hoppe
ASML Holding said fourth-quarter net profit rose and that it was maintaining its conservative guidance for the year ahead despite positive industry signs.
The Dutch manufacturer of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry said Wednesday that net profit for the fourth quarter was 2.05 billion euros ($2.23 billion) compared with EUR1.8 billion for the same period a year earlier. An analysts’ consensus taken from FactSet expected EUR1.86 billion.
Net sales for the period were EUR7.24 billion compared with EUR6.4 billion, and a forecast of between EUR6.7 billion and EUR7.1 billion. Net bookings were EUR9.19 billion compared with EUR6.3 billion
For the year as a whole, sales rose to EUR27.56 billion compared with EUR21.17 billion. In October the company said that it expected sales for the year to be similar to 2022’s EUR21.2 billion given the uncertainty around demand recovery in the semiconductor industry.
For the year ahead the company said, the company forecast first quarter net sales between EUR5.0 billion and EUR5.5 billion. It said it was maintaining its conservative guidance for 2024 revenue to be similar to 2023, despite positive industry signs.
The board raised its total dividend for 2023 to EUR6.10 a share from EUR5.80 a share a year earlier.
Write to Najat Kantouar at najat.kantouar@wsj.com and Joe Hoppe at joseph.hoppe@wsj.com
