ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 1.5% – Should You Sell?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price dropped 1.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $946.11 and last traded at $966.57. Approximately 2,480,502 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 48% from the average daily volume of 1,678,497 shares. The stock had previously closed at $981.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASML has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Redburn Partners set a $1,200.00 price objective on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded ASML from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,076.33.

ASML Stock Down 1.5%

The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,000.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $840.89. The stock has a market cap of $380.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.14. ASML had a net margin of 27.08% and a return on equity of 47.74%. The company had revenue of $8.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th were paid a dividend of $1.857 per share. This represents a $7.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 29th. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 25.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in ASML by 153.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in ASML in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of ASML by 78.9% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 34 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

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.