Thesis

Street consensus, scenarios, merits, risks, and invalidation triggers

AI-assisted
Thesis Summary

ASML's operating momentum is exceptionally strong: second-quarter 2026 sales and gross margin exceeded guidance, management raised full-year sales guidance to EUR 43 billion-EUR 45 billion and gross-margin guidance to 54%-56%, and AI-driven Logic and Memory investment is supporting strong order intake and customer capacity expansion. The long-term case remains underpinned by rising lithography intensity, EUV adoption and ASML's 2030 opportunity of approximately EUR 44 billion-EUR 60 billion of annual revenue at a 56%-60% gross margin.

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This section is the 12-month view: analyst targets and the probability-weighted scenarios built from them. The intrinsic value at the top of this page answers a different question: what the business is worth today.
Street view · analyst 12-month targets15 analysts · as of 18 Aug 2026
Low · most bearish analyst$895.73
Mean target$2,177.10
High · most bullish analyst$2,875.22
Street targets sit above today's price; our intrinsic value sits below it. Different horizons, different questions.
Our research · scenarios, merits, risks, and invalidation triggersResearch as of 18 Sep 2026
Scenarios · 12-month scenario targetsAnchored at research date
Bear CaseDownside scenario
$895.7320%

Export restrictions, customer project delays, supply-chain constraints or weaker non-AI semiconductor demand cause sales to fall below the upgraded 2026 range or gross margin below 54%. Capacity investments then run ahead of realized demand, delaying progress toward ASML's 2030 opportunity.

Base CaseCentral scenario
$2,177.1055%
Matches the consensus mean

ASML delivers within its upgraded 2026 guidance of EUR 43 billion-EUR 45 billion in sales and 54%-56% gross margin, supported by AI-related demand, EUV growth and a larger installed-base business. Capacity expansion proceeds broadly as planned, but export-control exposure and normal order timing create quarterly volatility.

Bull CaseUpside scenario
$2,875.2225%

AI infrastructure investment remains durable, advanced Logic and Memory customers execute accelerated capacity plans, and ASML successfully expands 2027 low-NA EUV and DUV immersion capacity by 30% from 2026 levels. Sales and margins remain at or above the upper ends of 2026 guidance and the business progresses toward the upper half of its 2030 revenue and margin opportunity.

Scenarios are anchored to street consensus at the research date, with our probabilities and rationale.

Key Investment Merits
  • Second-quarter 2026 sales of EUR 9.326 billion and gross margin of 54.0% exceeded guidance, prompting a substantial full-year outlook increase.
  • Management reported extremely strong first-half order intake and increased visibility as AI-driven customers accelerated advanced Logic and Memory capacity plans.
  • ASML plans to increase 2027 low-NA EUV capacity by 30% from approximately 65 systems in 2026 and DUV immersion capacity by 30% from approximately 130 systems.
  • ASML's long-term opportunity remains approximately EUR 44 billion-EUR 60 billion of annual revenue with a 56%-60% gross margin by 2030.
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Key Investment Risks
  • Export-control changes can restrict system shipments and services, affect geographic mix and disrupt backlog conversion.
  • Orders and recognized revenue can fluctuate because of customer demand, shipment timing, cancellations, delays or order pushouts.
  • The planned production ramp depends on ASML and its supply chain providing complex systems and components on schedule.
  • AI-related demand is an increasingly important growth driver, creating downside risk if customer capacity plans moderate.
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All scenarios are estimates and subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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AI-assisted, source-linked narrative; figures from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market data. Dates shown per section. Not investment advice. Terms of Use.