By Najat Kantouar

Shares in ASM International rose after the Dutch supplier of semiconductor-making tools reported higher sales for the first quarter that exceeded analysts' expectations, boosted by increased investments in artificial intelligence.

In early morning European trading, shares were up 8.2% at 846.40 euros. Year to date, shares have risen about 63%.

The group, which supplies wafer-processing equipment for the deposition of thin films, said sales in the quarter rose to 862.5 million euros ($1.01 billion) from 839.2 million euros for the same period a year earlier. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha had forecast sales of 834.6 million euros.

Net profit was 238.5 million euros, compared with a loss of 28.9 million euros a year earlier. Gross profit--a closely watched metric of pricing power and profitability--came in at 459.9 million euros, while the corresponding margin was 53.3% compared with 53.4%.

For the second quarter, ASM said it expects sales of about 980 million euros at constant currencies and anticipates the second half to be stronger than the first half.

Citi analysts expect consensus earnings for 2026 to increase at least 10%. AI-driven advanced logic demand is stronger than expected, and ASM is benefiting from it while executing well, they said in a note to clients.

Write to Najat Kantouar at najat.kantouar@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 22, 2026 04:29 ET (08:29 GMT)

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