ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 1.5% – Here’s What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares traded down 1.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $715.52 and last traded at $728.80. 425,176 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,511,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $739.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASML has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. BNP Paribas began 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Up 2.4 %

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $733.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $748.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $288.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.20, a PEG 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 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS 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 paid a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its stake in ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 740.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of ASML by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. 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.