ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Up 0% – Still a Buy?

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML)’s stock price traded up 0% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $735.00 and last traded at $728.03. 251,954 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 1,693,261 shares. The stock had previously closed at $727.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ASML shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of 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 began coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $858.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on ASML from $815.00 to $767.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 29th. DZ Bank upgraded ASML from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $937.00.

ASML Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $286.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $730.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $733.34.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last issued its quarterly 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, equities research analysts predict that ASML Holding will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

ASML Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $1.5855 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from ASML’s previous dividend of $1.08. ASML’s dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kennebec Savings Bank grew its position in shares of ASML by 227.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 36 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its holdings in ASML by 740.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ASML in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of ASML in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 26.07% of the stock is 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.