ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) Downgraded by Morningstar to “Sell”

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) was downgraded by stock analysts at Morningstar to a “sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on ASML. Zacks Research cut shares of ASML from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a research note on Monday. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of ASML in a report on Friday, May 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ASML currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,504.38.

ASML Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASML traded up $5.54 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,603.41. 292,478 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,805,413. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,448.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,311.69. The company has a market cap of $630.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.45, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.81. ASML has a 52-week low of $683.48 and a 52-week high of $1,653.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The semiconductor company reported $8.28 EPS for the quarter. ASML had a net margin of 27.65% and a return on equity of 48.69%. The business had revenue of $10.15 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts predict that ASML will post 37.1 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ASML

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

About ASML

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.