ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading 0% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) traded up 0% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $755.51 and last traded at $745.10. Approximately 323,984 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 1,779,881 shares. The stock had previously closed at $744.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ASML shares. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on ASML from $1,148.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $731.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $760.09. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $291.77 billion, a PE ratio of 35.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is a boost from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 11th. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 25.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of ASML in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its position in ASML by 227.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ASML during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its stake in ASML by 740.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ASML during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 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.