Why Did ASML Stock Just Drop?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) stock, the Dutch manufacturer of machines that manufacture semiconductors, slipped 3.3% through 12:15 p.m. ET Friday, on no apparent bad news — actually, the contrary.

It’s only been a couple of days now, after all, since investment bank Goldman Sachs urged investors to buy ASML. And it’s only been one day since investors got a chance to react to spectacular earnings news from ASML customer Micron (NASDAQ: MU). (But then again, investors sold off Micron, too.)

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In Wednesday’s note, Goldman Sachs cited signs of accelerating demand for semiconductors of all stripes, based on revelations at Nvidia’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) recent GTC 2026 conference, as its main reason to buy ASML stock. The analyst called ASML’s machines strategically important to growth in the semiconductor sector.

What’s more, one of the reasons analysts cited for Micron stock getting cheaper yesterday was all the capital spending it plans to do!

When Micron spends money on capex, by the way, that’s money that will be flowing to ASML. And the same should be true for Nvidia, increasing its AI semiconductor sales.

Granted, this still leaves the valuation question to address. At 47 times trailing earnings, and only a little less than that when valued on price-to-free cash flow ratio, ASML is not a cheap stock. Then again, with analysts forecasting a long-term earnings growth rate near 19%, and good news from Nvidia and Micron lending credence to these forecasts… maybe ASML shouldn’t be a cheap stock.

It should be an expensive stock, priced like a growth stock, instead.

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