Nanometrics Incorporated (NASDAQ:NANO) – Equities research analysts at KeyCorp lowered their Q2 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Nanometrics in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 30th, according to Zacks Investment Research. KeyCorp analyst W. Twigg now expects that the semiconductor company will earn $0.22 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.24. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Nanometrics’ Q1 2020 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.45 EPS and Q4 2020 earnings at $0.53 EPS.
Nanometrics (NASDAQ:NANO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.02). Nanometrics had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 14.30%. The business had revenue of $67.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. Nanometrics’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year.
NANO has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Nanometrics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Nanometrics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Nanometrics in a research note on Wednesday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective (up previously from $37.00) on shares of Nanometrics in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, BidaskClub cut shares of Nanometrics from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.20.
Nanometrics stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $29.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 95,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,349. Nanometrics has a 1-year low of $25.52 and a 1-year high of $48.26. The company has a quick ratio of 3.98, a current ratio of 5.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $720.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.63.
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NANO. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Nanometrics by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,028,299 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $28,103,000 after buying an additional 397,677 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc grew its holdings in shares of Nanometrics by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 1,722,179 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $64,616,000 after purchasing an additional 218,259 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Nanometrics by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,722,179 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $64,616,000 after purchasing an additional 218,259 shares during the last quarter. THB Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Nanometrics during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,851,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Nanometrics by 167.4% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 287,147 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $7,847,000 after purchasing an additional 179,747 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.25% of the company’s stock.
In other news, Director Timothy J. Stultz sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.68, for a total value of $860,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 243,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,975,205.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Nanometrics Company Profile
Nanometrics Incorporated provides process control metrology and inspection systems for use primarily in the fabrication of semiconductors and other solid-state devices, and industrial and scientific applications worldwide. The company offers automated metrology systems that provide optical critical dimension, thin film metrology, and wafer stress metrology for transistor and interconnect metrology applications; and integrated metrology systems that are installed onto wafer processing equipment to provide near real-time measurements.