ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 0.7% – What’s Next?

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) fell 0.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $727.01 and last traded at $730.75. 516,869 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 1,751,466 shares. The stock had previously closed at $735.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ASML. BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $732.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $757.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company has a market cap of $286.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, equities research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Edgewood Management LLC raised its position in ASML by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,208,615,000 after purchasing an additional 959,696 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of ASML by 37.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,757,049 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,464,061,000 after acquiring an additional 474,653 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 4,880.5% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 335,284 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $247,019,000 after acquiring an additional 328,552 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in ASML by 53.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $559,494,000 after acquiring an additional 281,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter worth about $175,257,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. develops, produces, markets, sells, and services advanced semiconductor equipment systems for chipmakers. It offers advanced semiconductor equipment systems, including lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. The company also provides extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; and deep ultraviolet lithography systems comprising immersion and dry lithography solutions to manufacture various range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.