ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 0.4% – Here’s What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price traded down 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $725.06 and last traded at $728.41. 255,854 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 1,517,179 shares. The stock had previously closed at $731.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on ASML shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $280.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.26, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $731.34 and a 200 day moving average of $736.43.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued 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 (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its position in shares of ASML by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in ASML by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,208 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. grew its position in ASML by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $772,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Family Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 1.7% during the third quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 909 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 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.