Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Cohu has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from eight research firms, with six buy ratings, one hold, and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $49.00.
• The stock was up 4.7% and opened at $54.99, above its stated average price target. Cohu also reported quarterly revenue of $125.12 million, topping estimates, though EPS came in slightly below expectations at $0.01.
• Recent trading activity showed notable insider selling, including director sales by James A. Donahue and William Bendush. Despite that, institutional investors remain heavily involved, owning 94.67% of the company’s shares.

Shares of Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.00.

Several research firms have recently commented on COHU. Zacks Research raised Cohu from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Cohu from $33.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Cohu in a report on Monday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Cohu from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $60.00 price objective on Cohu and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st.

Cohu Stock Up 4.7%

COHU opened at $54.99 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 6.43 and a quick ratio of 5.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -46.21 and a beta of 1.62. Cohu has a 12 month low of $17.71 and a 12 month high of $58.47.

Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $125.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.14 million. Cohu had a negative net margin of 11.54% and a negative return on equity of 3.50%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 29.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.02) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cohu will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James A. Donahue sold 10,257 shares of Cohu stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.77, for a total transaction of $479,719.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $167,343.06. The trade was a 74.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William Bendush sold 7,500 shares of Cohu stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.14, for a total value of $368,550.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,217,689.20. This represents a 23.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 90,668 shares of company stock valued at $4,212,706 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.05% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cohu

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its position in Cohu by 125.5% during the first quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 955,344 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $29,253,000 after buying an additional 531,661 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Cohu by 2.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 517,195 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $15,837,000 after buying an additional 11,123 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Cohu by 89.0% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 36,844 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,128,000 after buying an additional 17,345 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in Cohu by 35.8% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 58,792 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,800,000 after buying an additional 15,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Cohu by 44.2% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 19,734 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 6,045 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.67% of the company's stock.

Cohu Company Profile

Cohu, Inc is a global provider of semiconductor test and inspection solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products designed to support chip manufacturers, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) providers, and electronics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company's product lineup includes automatic test handlers, wafer probers, test sockets, thermal subassembly systems and burn-in boards, all engineered to optimize throughput, accuracy and reliability in semiconductor production and final test.

Founded in 1947 and headquartered in Poway, California, Cohu has grown through both organic development and targeted acquisitions to become a recognized leader in test handling and interconnect technologies.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.