Reviewing ASM International (OTCMKTS:ASMIY) and Ichor (NASDAQ:ICHR)

Ichor (NASDAQ:ICHR) and ASM International (OTCMKTS:ASMIY) are both technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Ichor and ASM International”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ichor	$947.65 million	2.08	-$52.78 million	($1.17)	-44.98
ASM International	$3.59 billion	12.59	$818.79 million	$25.50	36.25

ASM International has higher revenue and earnings than Ichor. Ichor is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ASM International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Ichor and ASM International, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ichor	1	1	6	1	2.78
ASM International	1	1	5	1	2.75

Ichor presently has a consensus price target of $87.00, indicating a potential upside of 65.30%. Given Ichor’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Ichor is more favorable than ASM International.

Risk & Volatility

Ichor has a beta of 1.81, suggesting that its stock price is 81% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ASM International has a beta of 1.99, suggesting that its stock price is 99% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.8% of Ichor shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of ASM International shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of Ichor shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 24.4% of ASM International shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Ichor and ASM International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ichor	-3.97%	0.47%	0.33%
ASM International	31.94%	22.22%	16.33%

Summary

ASM International beats Ichor on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ichor

Ichor Holdings, Ltd. engages in the design, engineering, and manufacture of fluid delivery subsystems and components for semiconductor capital equipment in the United States and internationally. It primarily offers gas and chemical delivery systems and subsystems that are used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. The company's gas delivery subsystems deliver, monitor, and control gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as etch and deposition; and chemical delivery subsystems blend and dispense the reactive liquid chemistries used in semiconductor manufacturing processes comprising chemical-mechanical planarization, electroplating, and cleaning. In addition, it manufactures precision machined components, weldments, electron beam, laser-welded components, precision vacuum and hydrogen brazing, surface treatment technologies, and other proprietary products. The company primarily markets its products to equipment OEMs in the semiconductor equipment market in Japan. Ichor Holdings, Ltd. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Fremont, California.

About ASM International

ASM International NV, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, manufacture, marketing, and servicing of equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices in Europe, the United States, and Asia. The company’s products include wafer processing deposition systems for atomic layer deposition (ALD), epitaxy, silicon carbide, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and vertical furnace systems, including low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), diffusion, and oxidation products, as well as provides spare parts and support services. It also manufactures and sells equipment, which is used in wafer processing, encompassing the fabrication steps in which silicon wafers are layered with semiconductor devices. The company offers its products to semiconductor manufacturers. The company was formerly known as Advanced Semiconductor Materials International NV. ASM International NV was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands.