ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 3% – Time to Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price traded down 3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $654.00 and last traded at $654.22. 487,137 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 1,553,508 shares. The stock had previously closed at $674.58.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

ASML Stock Up 0.7 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $723.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $729.51. 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 has a market cap of $262.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released 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, sell-side analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its stake in ASML by 740.0% in the fourth 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 shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its stake in shares of ASML by 133.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 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.