ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) fell 1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $695.40 and last traded at $698.64. 341,840 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 1,527,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $705.76.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. DZ Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas assumed 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. cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Trading Down 2.3 %

The company has a market cap of $265.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $727.46 and a 200 day moving average of $732.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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 return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. On average, analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ASML during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in shares of ASML by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.