ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 4.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) fell 4.1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $640.53 and last traded at $641.44. 793,304 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 1,556,431 shares. The stock had previously closed at $669.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Down 6.8 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $245.19 billion, a PE ratio of 29.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $721.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $729.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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, analysts expect that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be paid a $1.5855 dividend. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in ASML by 74.6% in the 1st quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 2,958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of ASML by 1,045.9% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $828,000 after buying an additional 1,140 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank raised its position in ASML by 27.1% in the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 1,288 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $853,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ASML by 36.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 8,377 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,551,000 after acquiring an additional 2,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the first quarter worth approximately $781,000. 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.