Asmy's fourth-quarter net profit of 407 million euros in the Netherlands

ASML Holding NV, the largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Europe, issued its fourth-quarter earnings report. Its fourth-quarter profit exceeded its previous forecast due to record sales in 2010.

Asmail reported that the company’s fourth-quarter net profit was 407 million euros ($549 million), compared with only 50 million euros in the same period last year. Earlier, Bloomberg forecasted 11 analysts and forecasted an average net profit of 325.8 million euros in the fourth quarter. In addition, the company’s fourth-quarter net sales rose to 1.52 billion euros, which is higher than the previous forecast of 1.34 billion euros.