ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Stock Falls 1.3% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• ASML shares fell 1.3% to $1,722.50 on lower-than-average trading volume, while the stock remains above its 200-day moving average.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $1,970.33, despite recent downgrades from several firms.
• ASML reported $10.62 billion in quarterly revenue and $8.65 in EPS, but its quarterly dividend declined to $2.1507 from $3.1771, producing a 0.5% yield.

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) dropped 1.3% on Thursday. The company traded as low as $1,700.88 and last traded at $1,722.50. 1,260,427 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 1,774,859 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,744.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna reissued a "positive" rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of ASML from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of ASML from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Morningstar downgraded ASML to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,970.33.

ASML Trading Down 1.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $677.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $1,718.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,623.91.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, June 28th. The semiconductor company reported $8.65 EPS for the quarter. ASML had a return on equity of 52.71% and a net margin of 30.11%.The firm had revenue of $10.62 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ASML Holding N.V. will post 44.03 earnings per share for the current year.

ASML Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were issued a $2.1507 dividend. This is a decrease from ASML's previous quarterly dividend of $3.1771. This represents a $8.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. ASML's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ASML

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASML. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ASML by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,167 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $52,057,000 after buying an additional 2,913 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in ASML by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 4,337 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $8,628,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ASML by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 440,721 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $876,783,000 after purchasing an additional 27,021 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of ASML by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 85,872 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $170,851,000 after purchasing an additional 3,632 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of ASML in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,968,000. 26.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About ASML

ASML Holding N.V. is a Netherlands-based technology company that develops and manufactures lithography systems used by semiconductor manufacturers to produce integrated circuits. Its equipment uses light to project intricate circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, an essential step in the production of chips for computers, smartphones, automobiles, data centers and other electronic devices.

The company's product portfolio includes extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems and advanced metrology and inspection technologies.

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