ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) fell 1.3% on Friday . The company traded as low as $981.00 and last traded at $1,006.98. 1,268,900 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 1,674,499 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,019.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of ASML from $1,105.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Erste Group Bank raised ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, DZ Bank reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,076.33.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $396.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $980.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $829.55. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The semiconductor company reported $6.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.14. ASML had a return on equity of 47.74% and a net margin of 27.08%.The firm 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 firm posted $5.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 29th were paid a $1.857 dividend. This is a positive change from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 29th. This represents a $7.43 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 153.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 33 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of ASML in the third quarter worth $26,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in ASML in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc lifted its position in 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 period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.