ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price was down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $756.25 and last traded at $764.42. Approximately 596,905 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 1,350,834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $768.51.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Berenberg Bank upgraded ASML to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of ASML from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $943.83.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $292.70 billion, a PE ratio of 38.95, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $697.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $811.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $5.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.24 by $0.56. ASML had a net margin of 26.40% and a return on equity of 47.61%. The firm had revenue of $8.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.66 billion. Equities analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 20.68 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 29th were issued a dividend of $1.407 per share. This represents a $5.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 29th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Michael S. Ryan Inc. acquired a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at $365,000. First Hawaiian Bank increased its stake in shares of ASML by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 1,013 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Doliver Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of ASML by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Doliver Advisors LP now owns 2,392 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,658,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Capital Market Strategies LLC purchased a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $796,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,174,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.