ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Trading Down 4.1% – Should You Sell?

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price traded down 4.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $1,426.59 and last traded at $1,463.80. 2,132,680 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 1,970,018 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,526.51.

ASML News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting ASML this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management frames AI as the primary long?term demand driver in its 2025 annual report, a strategic pivot that supports multi?year growth expectations and investor confidence. ASML sees AI demand long-term driver (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokers have reaffirmed “buy”/overweight ratings (e.g., Deutsche Bank, Bernstein) and retail coverage remains largely positive — a supportive backdrop for the stock beyond short-term noise. Bernstein keeps buy rating (MarketScreener)
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest has declined from January levels to roughly 997,678 shares (~0.3% of shares; ~0.6 days-to-cover), meaning less concentrated short pressure heading into earnings season.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price targets remain mixed but generally elevated (median ~$1,518), showing continued Wall Street optimism even as near-term demand timing is debated. QuiverQuant coverage with analyst targets
• Negative Sentiment: Near?term selling pressure reflects investor reassessment of ASML’s 2026 outlook: management expects China’s share of sales to fall to ~20% in 2026 as backlog?driven shipments normalize under export controls, which weakens short?term growth assumptions. ASML slides as investors reassess China exposure (QuiverQuant)
• Negative Sentiment: After a steep rally into 2026, profit?taking and higher execution risk for AI?driven demand expectations magnify downside moves for high?multiple semiconductor equipment names; ASML’s buybacks provide longer?term support but don’t eliminate near?term demand concerns. Anti-AI trade commentary (Barron’s)

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ASML shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,475.00.

ASML Trading Down 4.1%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,305.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,074.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market cap of $575.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.69, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.89.

ASML Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a $3.1771 dividend. This is an increase from ASML’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.88. This represents a $12.71 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 27th. ASML’s payout ratio is currently 25.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASML

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASML. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in ASML by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,484,949 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,798,268,000 after buying an additional 132,353 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of ASML by 17.3% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,919,154 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,791,982,000 after acquiring an additional 577,448 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of ASML by 16.6% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,148,506 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,079,948,000 after acquiring an additional 305,435 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its stake 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 period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in ASML by 8.3% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,865,254 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,805,733,000 after acquiring an additional 142,763 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.