ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Shares of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $1,368.36, but opened at $1,293.86. ASML shares last traded at $1,323.2920, with a volume of 888,079 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ASML shares. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America lifted their price target on ASML from $1,092.00 to $1,331.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,550.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Santander cut shares of ASML from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,475.00.

ASML Stock Down 2.8%

The stock has a market cap of $523.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,348.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,100.37.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 27th will be given a dividend of $3.1771 per share. This represents a $12.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. ASML’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASML. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in ASML by 195.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,544,705 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,652,618,000 after buying an additional 1,022,532 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of ASML by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,791,982,000 after acquiring an additional 577,448 shares during the last quarter. Regents of The University of California purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the 3rd quarter worth about $413,335,000. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of ASML by 24.9% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,933,748 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,861,445,000 after acquiring an additional 385,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in ASML by 75.6% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 790,869 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $765,632,000 after purchasing an additional 340,518 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.07% of the company’s stock.

ASML Company Profile

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.