ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 5% - Time to Sell?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) shares traded down 5% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $650.00 and last traded at $652.99. 761,556 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 1,607,365 shares. The stock had previously closed at $687.26.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ASML. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. dropped their price objective 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. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Stock Up 0.6 %

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 has a market cap of $264.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $706.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $718.04.

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

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ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 28th will be issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 28th. This is a positive change from ASML's previous dividend of $1.08. ASML's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in ASML by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 56 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of ASML in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.