ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 0.8%

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) traded down 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $962.88 and last traded at $966.30. 139,345 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 1,224,796 shares. The stock had previously closed at $974.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna lifted their price target on ASML from $830.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded ASML from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of ASML from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Five equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $962.60.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $382.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $924.75 and a 200 day moving average of $751.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The semiconductor company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.34 billion. As a group, analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 20.48 EPS for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Monday, April 29th will be issued a $1.343 dividend. This represents a $5.37 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 26th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ASML. Carmel Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 45 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 46 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in ASML by 220.0% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Bollard Group LLC purchased a new position in ASML in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. 26.07% of the stock is 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.