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

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares dropped 2.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $711.21 and last traded at $715.24. Approximately 464,738 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 1,520,934 shares. The stock had previously closed at $734.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASML has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target 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 assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $731.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $736.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $282.46 billion, a PE ratio of 34.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

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, sell-side analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,128 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,174,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of ASML by 5.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $117,323,000 after acquiring an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 36.7% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $18,243,000 after acquiring an additional 7,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of ASML by 104.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,009 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,840,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.