ASML Holding NV vs Vale SA — how do they compare? ASML Holding NV trades at $1,758 (market cap $688.66B), while Vale SA trades at $14.46 (market cap $60.94B). The key difference: ASML Holding NV is far larger — about 11.3× Vale SA's market cap, and Vale SA pays the higher dividend (8.7%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ASML | VALE | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $688.66B | $60.94B |
Sector | Technology | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $1.99K | $17.82 |
52-Week Low | $689.63 | $9.53 |
Enterprise Value | $682.20B | $77.86B |
Dividend Yield | 0.49% | 8.7% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ASML trades at $1,797.32, down 0.38% on the day, with technical indicators showing a bullish trend despite recent volatility. The company reported strong Q1 2026 earnings that beat expectations, with revenue reaching $32.67B in 2025 and net income margins of 29.71%. Analyst consensus remains strongly positive with 56.82% buy ratings and a $2,210 price target, though elevated valuation ratios (P/E 61.03) warrant caution.
ASML maintains a dominant position in advanced semiconductor equipment with robust profitability and growth prospects driven by AI infrastructure demand. Key risks include China export restrictions, competitive pressures, and high valuation multiples. The stock offers exposure to critical chip manufacturing technology but requires monitoring of earnings execution and geopolitical developments.
VALE trades at $14.46, up 1.69% with mixed earnings performance including a Q3 2025 beat but recent misses. Technical indicators show bearish momentum with oversold RSI signals. The company maintains solid cash flow generation ($2.42B net in 2025) despite declining profit margins from 42.85% in 2022 to 6.12% in 2025. Recent news highlights $2.56B decarbonization investments and governance developments.
VALE presents a cautious opportunity with analyst consensus at $17.50 (21% upside) but faces margin compression and debt increases. The stock's value proposition hinges on commodity price recovery and successful execution of efficiency initiatives amid competitive and macroeconomic pressures.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Founded in 1984 and based in the Netherlands, ASML is the leader in photolithography systems used in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Photolithography is the process in which a light source is used to expose circuit patterns from a photomask onto a semiconductor wafer. The latest technological advances in this segment allow chipmakers to continually increase the number of transistors on the same area of silicon, with lithography historically representing a meaningful portion of the cost of making cutting-edge chips. Chipmakers require next-generation EUV lithography tools from ASML to continue past the 5-nanometer process node. ASML's products are used at every major semiconductor manufacturer, including Intel, Samsung, and TSMC.
Read more on ASML →Vale is the world's largest iron ore miner and one of the largest diversified miners, along with BHP and Rio Tinto. Earnings are dominated by the bulk materials division, primarily iron ore and iron ore pellets, with minor contributions from iron ore proxies, including manganese and coal. The base metals division is much smaller, primarily consisting of nickel mines and smelters with a small contribution from copper.
Read more on VALE →