ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 0.3% – Time to Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price was down 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $724.23 and last traded at $732.58. Approximately 311,410 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,518,440 shares. The stock had previously closed at $734.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $287.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.08, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $731.54 and a 200 day moving average of $736.45.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued 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 return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its holdings in ASML by 227.3% in the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in ASML during the third quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.