In the latest trading session, Camtek (CAMT) closed at $150.17, marking a +1.62% move from the previous day. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.01%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.03%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.17%.
Shares of the maker of automatic optical inspection and process enhancement systems have appreciated by 36.08% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 1.46%, and the S&P 500's gain of 0.78%.
Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Camtek in its upcoming earnings disclosure. On that day, Camtek is projected to report earnings of $0.83 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 7.79%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $127.21 million, up 8.46% from the year-ago period.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $3.21 per share and a revenue of $495.14 million, indicating changes of +13.43% and 0%, respectively, from the former year.
Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Camtek. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. Currently, Camtek is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at valuation, Camtek is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 44.08. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 35.6, so one might conclude that Camtek is trading at a premium comparatively.
It's also important to note that CAMT currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.83. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Electronics - Measuring Instruments industry stood at 2.44 at the close of the market yesterday.
The Electronics - Measuring Instruments industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 36, putting it in the top 15% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.
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Camtek Ltd. (CAMT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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