Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS) Rating Lowered to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Amtech Systems from “strong-buy” to “buy,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $22.00.
• Amtech reported quarterly EPS of $0.14, beating the $0.10 consensus estimate, while revenue of $22.38 million exceeded estimates of $21.50 million.
• CEO Guy Shechter purchased 3,450 shares worth approximately $49,473, and insiders own 26.9% of the company; institutional investors hold 50.21%.

Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

ASYS has been the topic of several other research reports. Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Amtech Systems in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Amtech Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Amtech Systems from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.00.

Amtech Systems Price Performance

Amtech Systems stock opened at $15.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $263.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.92 and a beta of 2.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $17.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.49. Amtech Systems has a 1 year low of $5.63 and a 1 year high of $25.71.

Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The semiconductor company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.04. Amtech Systems had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 6.33%. The business had revenue of $22.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.50 million. Research analysts expect that Amtech Systems will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Amtech Systems news, CEO Guy Shechter acquired 3,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.34 per share, for a total transaction of $49,473.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 53,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $766,473. This trade represents a 6.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 26.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amtech Systems

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AWM Investment Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Amtech Systems during the second quarter worth $15,925,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Amtech Systems by 235.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 352,624 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,425,000 after acquiring an additional 247,352 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Amtech Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,689,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Amtech Systems by 85.7% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 325,754 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $4,088,000 after acquiring an additional 150,332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Amtech Systems by 622.1% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 146,596 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,840,000 after acquiring an additional 126,296 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.21% of the company's stock.

Amtech Systems Company Profile

Amtech Systems, Inc is a global supplier of capital equipment and aftermarket parts for the solar photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. The company's solutions support key steps in wafer and cell production, offering both new machinery and spares designed to optimize yield, throughput and energy efficiency. Amtech operates through two primary segments: solar manufacturing and semiconductor & electronics packaging.

In its solar segment, Amtech provides diffusion furnaces, epitaxy reactors and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) systems used in high-volume solar cell fabrication.

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