ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 6.2% – What’s Next?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares dropped 6.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $681.88 and last traded at $686.52. Approximately 803,576 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 1,511,783 shares. The stock had previously closed at $732.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on 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 given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $733.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $745.76. The stock has a market cap of $268.75 billion, a PE ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its 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 net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. On average, equities analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its stake in ASML by 740.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in ASML in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in ASML in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.