Materion (NYSE:MTRN) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Materion Corporation (NYSE:MTRN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $135.70 and last traded at $135.0140, with a volume of 40114 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $132.05.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MTRN shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Materion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Materion from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Materion in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Materion has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.00.

Materion Trading Up 2.5%

The firm has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 142.49 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.18. The company has a current ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Materion (NYSE:MTRN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 22nd. The basic materials company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter. Materion had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The firm had revenue of $230.20 million during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Materion Corporation will post 5.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Materion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Materion’s payout ratio is 58.95%.

Insider Activity at Materion

In related news, VP Gregory R. Chemnitz sold 864 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.23, for a total value of $97,830.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 10,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,174,874.48. This trade represents a 7.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Materion

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dover Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Materion during the 2nd quarter valued at $209,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Materion by 67.6% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 122,009 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,956,000 after buying an additional 49,217 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Materion by 222.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 238,418 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,923,000 after acquiring an additional 164,433 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new stake in Materion in the second quarter worth about $469,000. Finally, Icon Advisers Inc. Co. bought a new position in Materion during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,056,000. 93.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Materion Company Profile

Materion Corporation (NYSE: MTRN) is a global supplier of advanced materials and precision-engineered solutions. The company develops and manufactures high-performance alloys, engineered clad and composite materials, precision thin film products, and advanced optical and electronic materials. Materion’s offerings address critical performance requirements for industries where material properties such as strength, wear resistance, conductivity and optical clarity are paramount.

Materion’s core businesses include beryllium and beryllium composites for aerospace and defense platforms, nickel- and copper-based specialty alloys for industrial and medical applications, optical coatings and substrates for scientific instrumentation, and electronic materials used in semiconductor production.