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

Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Amtech Systems from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on shares of Amtech Systems in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Amtech Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Amtech Systems Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASYS opened at $12.42 on Friday. Amtech Systems has a 1 year low of $6.75 and a 1 year high of $25.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $217.47 million, a PE ratio of 47.77 and a beta of 2.09. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $15.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.33.

Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The semiconductor company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $22.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.50 million. Amtech Systems had a return on equity of 6.33% and a net margin of 4.90%. As a group, analysts expect that Amtech Systems will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Guy Shechter acquired 3,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.34 per share, with a total value of $49,473.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 53,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $766,473. This represents a 6.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Thomas Sabol bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.13 per share, with a total value of $28,260.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $28,260. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 26.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AWM Investment Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Amtech Systems during the 2nd quarter worth about $15,925,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Amtech Systems by 104.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 92,515 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,081,000 after buying an additional 47,282 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Amtech Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $959,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Amtech Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $654,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Amtech Systems in the first quarter valued at about $296,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.21% of the company’s stock.

About Amtech Systems

Amtech Systems, Inc is a semiconductor equipment manufacturer that develops and supplies thermal processing, wafer polishing, and related production technologies for the semiconductor and solar industries. Its equipment is used in the fabrication and processing of silicon and compound semiconductor wafers, including applications involving power semiconductors and other advanced electronic devices.

Through its operating businesses, Amtech has provided systems such as diffusion and oxidation furnaces, rapid thermal processing equipment, wafer transport and handling systems, and polishing equipment and consumables.