ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 6.6% – Should You Sell?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price was down 6.6% on Friday. The stock traded as low as $1,535.33 and last traded at $1,565.90. Approximately 2,160,542 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 24% from the average session volume of 1,738,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,675.70.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ASML shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of ASML from $2,400.00 to $2,350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $2,079.12.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,708.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,594.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $603.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.77.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, September 27th. The semiconductor company reported $14.71 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $13.27 billion during the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 34.10% and a return on equity of 64.24%. Analysts expect that ASML Holding N.V. will post 46.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 27th will be given a $2.1077 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 27th. This represents a $8.43 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a drop from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.1507. ASML’s payout ratio is presently 17.65%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in ASML by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its position in ASML by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 266 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in ASML by 22.6% during the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT increased its stake in ASML by 0.3% in the first quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 2,232 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,948,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Company Profile

ASML Holding N.V. is a Netherlands-based technology company that develops and manufactures advanced lithography systems used by semiconductor manufacturers to produce integrated circuits. Its equipment helps customers transfer intricate circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, a critical step in the production of processors, memory chips and other semiconductor devices.

ASML’s product portfolio includes extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, which support the production of the most advanced chips, as well as deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems for a broad range of semiconductor applications.