Materion (NYSE:MTRN) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Materion Co. (NYSE:MTRN - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $80.00 and last traded at $81.38, with a volume of 12104 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.60.

Materion Trading Down 1.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 254.78 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $91.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.52.

Materion (NYSE:MTRN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.12. Materion had a net margin of 0.35% and a return on equity of 12.42%. The company had revenue of $436.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $433.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. Materion's revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Materion Co. will post 5.5 EPS for the current year.

Materion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were paid a $0.135 dividend. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. Materion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 186.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Shelly Marie Chadwick sold 805 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.24, for a total value of $81,498.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,481,343.68. This represents a 5.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MTRN. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Materion by 0.3% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 35,680 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,991,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Materion by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Materion by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 7,645 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $756,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Materion by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 10,910 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, Aurora Investment Counsel raised its holdings in shares of Materion by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 6,505 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. 93.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.