ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 2.4% – What’s Next?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price was down 2.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $727.63 and last traded at $729.10. Approximately 582,977 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 67% from the average daily volume of 1,741,254 shares. The stock had previously closed at $746.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. 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 objective on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Trading Down 6.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $274.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $733.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $756.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted 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 return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a $1.5855 dividend. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its stake in ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ASML in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its position in ASML by 740.0% during 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. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 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.