Sanford C. Bernstein Trims ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Target Price to $1,052.00

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) had its price objective lowered by Sanford C. Bernstein from $1,072.00 to $1,052.00 in a research report report published on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. HSBC started coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a buy rating for the company. Kepler Capital Markets raised ASML from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of ASML from $830.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of ASML from $850.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of ASML from $1,050.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,036.00.

ASML Stock Performance

ASML opened at $954.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $959.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $787.55. ASML has a 1-year low of $563.99 and a 1-year high of $1,056.34. The company has a market cap of $376.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.39, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.49.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The semiconductor company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. ASML had a net margin of 28.44% and a return on equity of 68.32%. The company had revenue of $7.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.34 billion. On average, analysts expect that ASML will post 20.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.343 per share. This represents a $5.37 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 26th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 24.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 13.6% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 385 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in ASML in the first quarter worth approximately $223,000. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 19.0% in the first quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,111,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sovereign Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the 1st quarter worth $234,000. 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.