Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average on Analyst Downgrade

Amtech Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASYS)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday after Weiss Ratings upgraded the stock from a sell (d) rating to a sell (d+) rating. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $16.49 and traded as high as $17.56. Amtech Systems shares last traded at $17.25, with a volume of 255,579 shares changing hands.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded Amtech Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $22.00 price target on shares of Amtech Systems in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Amtech Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Amtech Systems by 235.0% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 352,624 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,425,000 after acquiring an additional 247,352 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Amtech Systems in the third quarter valued at about $1,689,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Amtech Systems by 85.7% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 325,754 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after buying an additional 150,332 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Amtech Systems by 622.1% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 146,596 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,840,000 after buying an additional 126,296 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Amtech Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $1,122,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.21% of the company’s stock.

Amtech Systems Stock Down 7.9%

The stock has a market cap of $231.31 million, a PE ratio of 93.47 and a beta of 1.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $20.00 and a 200-day moving average of $16.49.

Amtech Systems (NASDAQ:ASYS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The semiconductor company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.05. Amtech Systems had a return on equity of 5.58% and a net margin of 3.11%.The firm had revenue of $20.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.50 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Amtech Systems, Inc. will post 0.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.