ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 0.6% – Time to Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares fell 0.6% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $734.78 and last traded at $738.59. 268,685 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 1,760,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $743.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on ASML. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $732.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $759.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 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%. Equities research analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a $1.5855 dividend. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 34.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,852,000 after acquiring an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Eastern Bank boosted its position in shares of ASML by 4.9% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 648 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in ASML by 1.3% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,985 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,153,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC raised its stake in ASML by 18.4% during the third quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 277 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in ASML during the third quarter worth about $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Company Profile

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.