ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 1.5% – Here’s Why

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price traded down 1.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $715.52 and last traded at $728.80. 425,176 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,511,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $739.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ASML. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ASML has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $732.90 and a 200-day moving average of $750.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.39, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. Equities analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $1,174,000. Taurus Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth about $16,994,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of ASML by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,802 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $117,323,000 after acquiring an additional 7,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in ASML by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 15,361 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.