By Mauro Orru

ASML Holding logged record quarterly orders of its semiconductor-making equipment and said it expects healthy sales growth this year, a sign that client spending to produce advanced chips behind the artificial intelligence boom remains strong despite fears of a market bubble.

The Dutch company booked orders of 13.16 billion euros ($15.85 billion) in the fourth quarter, up from 7.09 billion euros a year earlier and way above analysts' forecast of 6.95 billion euros, according to Visible Alpha.

Orders of ASML's extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, high-end machines that allow chip makers to print the most intricate layers on semiconductors, came in at 7.4 billion euros, surging past a Visible Alpha forecast of 4.41 billion euros.

This marks the last time that ASML is disclosing quarterly orders. The metric has long been investors' go-to figure to gauge the company's performance, but ASML executives have argued that bookings aren't an accurate reflection of business momentum as they can be lumpy between quarters. From now on, ASML will report its total backlog on an annual basis.

For 2026, ASML is projecting sales between 34 billion and 39 billion euros, up from 32.67 billion euros in 2025. It also expects a gross margin between 51% and 53%.

ASML reported sales of 9.72 billion euros for the fourth quarter, up from 9.26 billion euros a year earlier. The figure is above analysts' forecast and at the higher end of company guidance.

Net profit grew to 2.84 billion euros from 2.69 billion euros a year earlier, slightly below market expectations. ASML said it would declare a total dividend of 7.50 euros per ordinary share for 2025, up 17% on year. ASML also said it was launching a share buyback program of up to 12 billion euros to be executed by Dec. 31, 2028.

Gross profit--a closely watched metric for companies operating in the semiconductor industry--came in at 5.07 billion euros, generating a 52.2% margin that beat consensus and came within company guidance.

For the current quarter, the company expects sales between 8.2 billion and 8.9 billion euros, with a gross margin between 51% and 53%.

Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 28, 2026 01:32 ET (06:32 GMT)

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