Materion (NYSE:MTRN) Trading Up 5.3% Following Strong Earnings

Materion Co. (NYSE:MTRN) shares rose 5.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $106.01 and last traded at $105.04. Approximately 7,102 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 81,292 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.74.

The basic materials company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.12. Materion had a net margin of 4.45% and a return on equity of 12.06%.

Materion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.135 dividend. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Materion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.21%.

Insider Transactions at Materion

In other news, CFO Shelly Marie Chadwick sold 805 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.24, for a total value of $81,498.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 14,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,481,343.68. The trade was a 5.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Materion

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MTRN. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Materion by 307.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Materion by 269.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Materion by 118.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 562 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the period. ARK Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Materion in the 3rd quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in Materion by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 882 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.56% of the company’s stock.

Materion Trading Up 6.0 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $100.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 3.15 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 29.77 and a beta of 1.23.

Materion Company Profile

Materion Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, produces advanced engineered materials used in semiconductor, industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, consumer electronics, and telecom and data center in the United States, Asia, Europe, and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Performance Materials, Electronic Materials, Precision Optics, and Other.