Dutch company ASML, a leading semiconductor equipment maker, recently reported its fourth-quarter earnings, which beat market expectations and pushed its shares up about 10 percent to a new all-time high.。The company's new orders, worth more than €9 billion, come mainly from TSMC, a big customer, which is Asma's biggest customer and makes chips for companies such as Apple and Nvidia.。Other major customers include Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron。

Despite the strong performance, Asma maintained a "conservative" outlook for 2024, expecting flat sales.。This outlook is based on the current state of the semiconductor industry, which is still at the bottom of the processing cycle.。However, Asma's CEO Peter Wennink pointed to some positive signs, including improved demand for chips and improved plant utilization.。

Asma's fourth-quarter net sales rose 12.5%, gross margin of 51.4%。The company expects first-quarter net sales of between €5 billion and €5.5 billion.。For the full year 2023, Asma's revenue last year was €27.6 billion, up 30% year-on-year.。

Despite the company's warning that future sales to China could be affected by new export restrictions, with deliveries to China expected to fall by 10-15% in 2024, Asma's shares have risen more than 28% over the past year.。

There has been some speculation about a possible stock split, as ASME's shares have risen more than 1,500% since 2007.。However, there has been no official announcement on the matter.。