ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 1.1% - Here's What Happened

Shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) traded down 1.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $767.24 and last traded at $768.40. 415,150 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 1,786,349 shares. The stock had previously closed at $776.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

ASML Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $293.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $731.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $760.09.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The semiconductor company reported $7.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.67 by ($0.37). ASML had a net margin of 26.78% and a return on equity of 47.73%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ASML Holding will post 25.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.5855 per share. This is an increase from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 11th. ASML's payout ratio is 25.67%.

Institutional Trading of ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in ASML during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ASML during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its position in ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its stake in ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.