ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 0.3% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) fell 0.3% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $736.23 and last traded at $740.09. 347,921 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 1,927,686 shares. The stock had previously closed at $742.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ASML. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered 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. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $722.93 and its 200 day moving average is $769.66. The stock has a market cap of $291.49 billion, a PE ratio of 35.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.47. 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 data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.31 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 26.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in ASML by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,856 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $10,989,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,798,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in ASML by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,827 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $37,306,000 after acquiring an additional 4,355 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in ASML by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 9,228 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $6,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,054 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in ASML by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,841 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,662,000 after acquiring an additional 216 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.