Cohu, Inc. (COHU) - What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Cohu has a “Moderate Buy” consensus among 10 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $74.38. Recent rating changes included upgrades and higher price targets, though one analyst rates the stock a sell.
• Quarterly results topped expectations: Cohu reported EPS of $0.43 versus the $0.35 consensus estimate and revenue of $172.96 million, up 37% year over year.
• Company insiders sold a total of 116,692 shares worth about $7.37 million over the last three months; disclosed sales were made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.

Shares of Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $74.38.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cohu from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Cohu from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $83.00 price target on Cohu in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Cohu in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Cohu in a research report on Thursday, October 15th.

Cohu Stock Up 10.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:COHU traded up $3.59 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $38.49. 1,444,582 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,265,549. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 5.16 and a quick ratio of 4.24. Cohu has a 12 month low of $21.10 and a 12 month high of $75.72. The company has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of -74.02 and a beta of 1.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.31.

Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $172.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.25 million. Cohu had a negative net margin of 3.97% and a positive return on equity of 1.47%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 37.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.06) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cohu will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Cohu

In related news, SVP Christopher Bohrson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.82, for a total transaction of $558,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 159,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,914,565.64. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Luis A. Muller sold 55,794 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $3,347,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 871,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,309,500. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 116,692 shares of company stock worth $7,374,716 over the last three months. 3.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cohu

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COHU. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cohu by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Cohu by 147.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 528 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cohu by 17.7% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,510 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Choreo LLC grew its position in Cohu by 12.0% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,187 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Cohu by 109.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 879 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. 94.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Cohu

Cohu, Inc is a global provider of semiconductor test and inspection equipment and related services. The company supplies solutions used by semiconductor manufacturers and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers to evaluate devices during production, helping improve manufacturing quality, reliability and efficiency.

Cohu's product portfolio includes semiconductor test handlers, contactors and other interface products, inspection and metrology systems, thermal-management equipment, and software for test-data analysis and factory automation.

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