ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 3.3% – Should You Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price fell 3.3% on Monday . The company traded as low as $748.68 and last traded at $751.55. 2,045,501 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 4% from the average session volume of 1,973,736 shares. The stock had previously closed at $776.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $731.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $760.19. 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 has a market cap of $293.02 billion, a PE ratio of 35.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share 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 analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 2,954 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,047,000 after buying an additional 1,339 shares in the last quarter. Auxier Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 120.5% during the fourth quarter. Auxier Asset Management now owns 668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $672,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 32,762 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $22,707,000 after buying an additional 3,692 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $23,766,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently 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.