ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on ASML. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of ASML from $1,100.00 to $965.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of ASML in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $806.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of ASML from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $913.80.

ASML Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of ASML stock opened at $798.09 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $732.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $719.50. ASML has a 12-month low of $578.51 and a 12-month high of $1,110.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $313.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.74.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Putney Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of ASML by 322.2% in the first quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 38 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in ASML in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its stake in ASML by 740.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 42 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ASML in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of ASML during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. 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.