Chipmaking equipment maker ASML Holding has today reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat expectations and its best-ever quarterly orders, but it kept a cautious outlook for 2024 as it faces new restrictions on exports to China.
Net profit at Europe's biggest technology company by market value rose 9% to €2 billion on sales of €7.2 billion in the fourth quarter. That topped analyst expectations of a €1.87 billion net profit on revenue of €6.9 billion, according to LSEG data.
The company registered orders of more than €9 billion in the quarter - more than triple third-quarter levels - but kept its outlook for flat sales growth in 2024 despite strong demand for artificial intelligence chips.
"The semiconductor industry continues to work through the bottom of the cycle," CEO Peter Wennink said in a statement.
"Although our customers are still not certain about the shape of the semiconductor market recovery this year, there are some positive signs," he said, citing improving demand for chips and higher factory utilisation rates.
Taiwan's TSMC, which manufactures chips for Apple and Nvidia and is ASML's biggest customer, said last week its expected capital expenditure would be flat in 2024.
ASML dominates the global market for lithography systems, equipment used by computer chipmakers to help create the circuitry of chips.
"After the good results and the good outlook from TSMC last week, people were hoping that they would increase their outlook for 2024. But they're still a little bit conservative," analyst Jos Versteeg of InsingerGilissen said of ASML's outlook.
He said the company would likely raise its outlook later this year as end-markets continue to recover.
The company said sales to China, usually its third-largest market after Taiwan and South Korea, would be impacted in 2024 by new US and Dutch export restrictions introduced in 2023, affecting up to 15% of its China sales.
Chinese chipmakers have been expanding rapidly with government support despite weaknesses in the country's economy, with a big build-out of relatively older chipmaking technology.
