ASML’s Bookings Rebound Strongly In Q2 Amid AI Demand Surge But CEO Says ‘Can’t Confirm’ Chip-Equipment Maker Will Grow In 2026

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML Holdings N.V. (ASML) reported a strong rebound in net bookings but issued a cautious commentary regarding the fiscal year 2026.

ASML stock climbed 0.71% in overnight trading 

Veldhoven, Netherlands-based company reported net income of 5.9 euros per share ($6.86) for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, up from 4.0 euros in the year-ago period. 

Net sales increased 23% year over year (YoY) to 7.69 billion euros, with installed base management sales accounting for 2.10 billion euros. 

The numbers exceeded the Fiscal.ai-compiled consensus of 5.3 euros and 7.54 million euros, respectively.=

The company reported quarterly net bookings of 5.5 billion euros, of which 2.3 billion euros worth of orders pertained to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems used in the production of the most advanced microchips, utilized by companies such as Apple (AAPL) and Nvidia (NVDA).

Net bookings slipped 1.8% YoY but jumped 40% sequentially, and exceeded the 4.19-billion consensus, as reported by CNBC.

ASML said it sold 67 units of new lithography systems, down from 73 units sold in the preceding quarter and 89 units sold in the year-ago quarter.

CEO Christophe Fouquet said, “Our second-quarter total net sales came in at €7.7 billion, at the top end of our guidance. The gross margin was 53.7%, above guidance, primarily driven by higher upgrade business and one-offs resulting in lower costs.”

Looking ahead, the company expects third-quarter net sales to be between 7.4 billion euros and 7.9 billion euros, with a gross margin of 50%-52%.

The company expects 2025 net sales to increase by 15% and its gross margin to be approximately 52%.

Fouquet said its artificial intelligence (AI) customers’ fundamentals remained strong. That said, the executive sounded a note of caution regarding the fluid external environment. “At the same time, we continue to see increasing uncertainty driven by macroeconomic and geopolitical developments. Therefore, while we still prepare for growth in 2026, we cannot confirm it at this stage,” he said.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward ASML stock shifted to ‘extremely bullish’ (93/100) by late Tuesday, ahead of the earnings report, from the ‘bullish’ mood observed a day prior. The message volume on the stream was also ‘extremely high.’

The stock was among the top five trending tickers on the platform by early Wednesday.

Commenting on the earnings report, a watcher said they expected the stock to dump, given the weak guidance.

ASML stock has gained more than 19% year-to-date.

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