by Toby Sterling
AMSTERDAM, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Dutch semiconductor maker ASML reported better-than-expected quarterly results on Wednesday and said it expects sales to grow 20% in 2022 despite a recent factory fire from Berlin.
The fire, which occurred in early January, damaged part of one building and caused smoke damage to another.
ASML chief executive Peter Wennink said “the expected impact of the fire in part of a building at our Berlin factory has been included” in the growth forecast for this year.
“Based on our current knowledge, we believe we can manage the consequences of this fire without a significant impact on our system production for 2022,” Peter Wennink said in a statement.
ASML, Europe’s largest technology company by market capitalization, reported net profit of 1.77 billion euros for the fourth quarter, above the 1.51 billion expected on average by analysts, according to data from Refinitiv.
Turnover came to five billion euros, slightly below expectations at 5.1 billion.
ASML said it would continue to struggle to meet demand this year and forecast first-quarter revenue of between 3.3 billion and 3.5 billion euros.
The group also indicated on Wednesday that it would double its dividend to 5.50 euros for 2021 and announced that it had received a first order from Intel for a chip manufacturing machine still in development.
At the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the ASML share gained 1.34% in the morning. (Report Toby Sterling; Blandine Hénault for the French version, edited by Jean-Michel Bélot)