ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 1.8% – Here’s Why

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) was down 1.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $1,651.21 and last traded at $1,665.14. 905,083 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 1,813,737 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,696.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on ASML shares. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Zacks Research downgraded ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of ASML from $2,200.00 to $2,400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,971.00 to $2,623.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,970.33.

ASML Trading Down 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50-day moving average is $1,760.29 and its 200 day moving average is $1,594.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $654.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.79.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 30.11% and a return on equity of 52.71%. The firm had revenue of $10.62 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 28th were given a dividend of $2.1507 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a $8.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of ASML by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,484,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,798,268,000 after purchasing an additional 132,353 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in ASML by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,459,420 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,892,869,000 after buying an additional 592,125 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in ASML by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,641,565 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,168,227,000 after buying an additional 96,860 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of ASML by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,560,256 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,060,833,000 after buying an additional 19,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of ASML by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,526,411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,633,046,000 after acquiring an additional 193,068 shares during the period. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) is a Dutch company that develops, manufactures and services advanced photolithography systems used to produce semiconductor chips. Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML supplies capital equipment and associated software and services that enable semiconductor manufacturers to pattern the intricate circuits on silicon wafers. The company is widely recognized for its leadership in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as well as its deep ultraviolet (DUV) platforms used across multiple process nodes.

ASML’s product portfolio includes EUV and DUV lithography machines, light sources, imaging optics and control software, together with spare parts, upgrades and field services.