Versum Materials Inc (NYSE:VSM) – Analysts at Seaport Global Securities lowered their Q3 2019 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Versum Materials in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 5th. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $0.61 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.63. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Versum Materials’ Q4 2019 earnings at $0.64 EPS.
Versum Materials (NYSE:VSM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, meeting the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.55. The company had revenue of $339.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $339.69 million. Versum Materials had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 135.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share.
Several other brokerages also recently commented on VSM. Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Versum Materials from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $26.00 to $31.00 in a report on Thursday, January 31st. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Versum Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Versum Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Versum Materials has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.33.
Shares of VSM stock opened at $37.01 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65, a current ratio of 4.82 and a quick ratio of 3.39. Versum Materials has a one year low of $25.02 and a one year high of $41.35.
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Versum Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its position in Versum Materials by 25.2% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 4,229 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the period. Grandview Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Versum Materials during the fourth quarter valued at about $204,000. Oakbrook Investments LLC grew its position in Versum Materials by 30.7% during the third quarter. Oakbrook Investments LLC now owns 7,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 1,750 shares during the period. Finally, Piedmont Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Versum Materials during the third quarter valued at about $283,000. Institutional investors own 91.59% of the company’s stock.
In related news, Director Thomas Riordan purchased 6,000 shares of Versum Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $29.03 per share, for a total transaction of $174,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,005 shares in the company, valued at $580,745.15. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schnabel purchased 1,000 shares of Versum Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $31.91 per share, with a total value of $31,910.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $730,005.07. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 28,000 shares of company stock valued at $905,140. 0.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 11th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. Versum Materials’s payout ratio is currently 13.62%.
About Versum Materials
Versum Materials, Inc develops, manufactures, transports, and handles specialty materials for the semiconductor and display industries in the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Europe, and rest of Asia. The company operates through two segments, Materials, and Delivery Systems and Services (DS&S).