ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Down 2.6% - Time to Sell?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 2.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $786.50 and last traded at $794.38. Approximately 815,488 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 1,693,906 shares. The stock had previously closed at $815.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on ASML. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on ASML in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $806.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ASML presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $913.80.

ASML Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $313.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.74. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $729.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $718.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The semiconductor company reported $6.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $8.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.90 billion. ASML had a net margin of 28.32% and a return on equity of 51.82%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ASML Holding N.V. will post 25.17 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in ASML by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,025 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $6,948,000 after acquiring an additional 3,016 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp increased its holdings in ASML by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 598 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $415,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in ASML by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,915 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,020,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in ASML by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 727 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ASML Company Profile

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.

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