ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 1.7% - Here's What Happened

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) was down 1.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $724.07 and last traded at $726.73. Approximately 549,315 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 1,902,472 shares. The stock had previously closed at $739.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASML has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 note on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank raised ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on ASML from $790.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of ASML in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $858.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $937.00.

ASML Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $725.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $766.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.47.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a return on equity of 47.73% and a net margin of 26.78%. On average, analysts forecast that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be given a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 11th. This is a boost from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.83%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ASML by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,423 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,372,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors grew its holdings in ASML by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 692 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in ASML by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 109,207 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $75,689,000 after buying an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ASML by 132.3% in the fourth quarter. Prosperity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,893 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,312,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the fourth quarter valued at $3,188,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.