ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Price Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

On Thursday, shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) experienced a slight decrease, trading down by 0.2% during mid-day sessions. The stock reached a low of $659.61 before rebounding to end the day at $670.48. In total, 1,231,751 shares changed hands, marking a 15% decline from the typical trading volume of 1,449,758 shares. The previous closing price was $671.97.

Wall Street Analyst Opinions

Various analysts have recently shared their perspectives on ASML's stock performance. On October 17, Wells Fargo & Company revised their price target for ASML, lowering it from $1,000.00 to $790.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating. Similarly, Sanford C. Bernstein adjusted their target from $1,052.00 to $815.00 and rated the stock as "outperform." On September 20, Morgan Stanley downgraded ASML from an "overweight" to an "equal weight" rating. A week earlier, on September 4, UBS Group also changed their recommendation from a "buy" to a "neutral" rating. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price from $1,207.00 to $1,148.00, keeping an "overweight" rating. Currently, out of the analysts who have evaluated ASML, three have rated the stock as a hold, nine as a buy, and two as a strong buy. According to MarketBeat, ASML has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $970.60.

ASML Stock Overview

The company has reported a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29 and maintains a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock's moving averages are $737.53 for the last 50 days and $868.72 for the past 200 days. ASML boasts a market capitalization of $263.78 billion, a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 35.10, a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 1.99, and a beta of 1.51.

Recent Earnings Results

ASML recently published its quarterly earnings on October 15, revealing an earnings per share (EPS) of $5.80, surpassing market expectations of $5.24 by $0.56. The company generated revenue of $8.21 billion during the quarter, outperforming predictions of $7.66 billion. ASML achieved a return on equity of 47.61% and reported a net margin of 26.40%. Analysts on average predict that ASML will report earnings per share of 20.68 for the ongoing fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement

On November 7, ASML declared a quarterly dividend payout, distributing $1.407 for shareholders on record as of October 29, resulting in an annualized dividend of $5.63 and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was also October 29, with the company's current dividend payout ratio reported at 29.21%.

Institutional Movements

Recently, numerous institutional investors have made transactions with ASML shares. Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in ASML by 1.0% during the second quarter, owning 975 shares valued at $997,000 post-purchase. Valley National Advisers Inc. also grew their holdings by 1.1% during the same period, now owning 1,134 shares valued at $1,159,000. Additionally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC enhanced its stake by 2.8%, owning 444 shares worth $454,000. First Pacific Financial increased its exposure by 1.1% as well, now holding 1,121 shares valued at $1,146,000. Lastly, RMR Wealth Builders added to its holdings by 0.6%, now possessing 2,114 shares valued at $2,162,000. Notably, 26.07% of ASML’s shares are owned by institutional investors.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. specializes in the development, production, marketing, sale, and servicing of advanced semiconductor equipment systems used by chipmakers. Their offerings include sophisticated lithography, metrology, and inspection systems, along with both extreme ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet lithography solutions for manufacturing a wide range of semiconductor nodes and technologies.

ASML, Stocks, Price, Investment, Dividend