ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 1.3% – Here’s Why

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares traded down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $597.69 and last traded at $615.19. 1,247,470 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 1,566,615 shares. The stock had previously closed at $623.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 2.8 %

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 50-day moving average price is $716.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $726.43. The company has a market cap of $238.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Edgewood Management LLC lifted its stake in ASML by 43.1% in the fourth quarter. Edgewood Management LLC now owns 3,186,667 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,208,615,000 after purchasing an additional 959,696 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in ASML by 4,880.5% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 335,284 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $247,019,000 after acquiring an additional 328,552 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in ASML by 53.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 807,257 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $559,494,000 after purchasing an additional 281,156 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $175,257,000. Finally, Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter worth about $137,386,000. 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.