ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 1.7% – Should You Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price fell 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $724.07 and last traded at $726.73. 549,315 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 1,902,472 shares. The stock had previously closed at $739.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on ASML from $1,300.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 1.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $286.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.01, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $724.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $769.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 82,646 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $57,280,000 after purchasing an additional 17,187 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in ASML by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,839 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,740,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter worth $245,000. SLT Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $1,105,000. Finally, Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 662 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.