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

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) shares traded down 3% on Monday . The company traded as low as $654.00 and last traded at $654.22. 487,137 shares traded hands during 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on ASML shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. 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. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $727.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $731.53. 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 stock has a market cap of $261.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54.

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

ASML Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,472 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,223,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in ASML by 56.9% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 565 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in ASML by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,799 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,830 shares during the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 70.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 230 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 19.5% during the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 9,071 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $7,558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.