ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 2.6% – Time to Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price fell 2.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $711.21 and last traded at $715.24. 464,738 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 1,520,934 shares. The stock had previously closed at $734.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

ASML Trading Down 2.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $281.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $730.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $734.36.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in ASML by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,223,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. boosted its position in ASML by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $420,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Sunpointe LLC boosted its position in ASML by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $772,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in ASML by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 909 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by 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.