Aehr Test Systems $AEHR is Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.'s 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• Halter Ferguson Financial increased its Aehr Test Systems stake by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, making AEHR its 7th largest holding and about 2.8% of its portfolio.
• Aehr Test Systems reported a smaller-than-expected loss of ($0.05) per share on revenue of $10.31 million, while analysts now expect the company to post -0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The stock has been volatile, trading near its 52-week high of $108.75, while insiders have been selling shares recently and Wall Street’s consensus view remains Hold with an average price target of $68.

Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Free Report) by 41.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 642,129 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 189,117 shares during the quarter. Aehr Test Systems comprises approximately 2.8% of Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. owned about 2.10% of Aehr Test Systems worth $12,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AEHR. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 3,448.3% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,029 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Aehr Test Systems by 3,500.0% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,448 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 2,380 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.69% of the company's stock.

Aehr Test Systems Price Performance

Shares of AEHR stock opened at $106.34 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $63.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.09. Aehr Test Systems has a 1-year low of $8.31 and a 1-year high of $108.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of -279.84 and a beta of 3.26.

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 7th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $10.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.85 million. Aehr Test Systems had a negative return on equity of 7.15% and a negative net margin of 25.23%. Equities research analysts expect that Aehr Test Systems will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aehr Test Systems news, Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 17,115 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $1,711,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 45,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,526,100. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Alistair N. Sporck sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.50, for a total value of $187,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,177 shares in the company, valued at $484,049.50. This trade represents a 27.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 368,186 shares of company stock valued at $27,942,024 in the last three months. 6.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Aehr Test Systems from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. William Blair raised Aehr Test Systems from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Aehr Test Systems from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Craig Hallum raised Aehr Test Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aehr Test Systems currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $68.00.

Aehr Test Systems Profile

Aehr Test Systems develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor test and burn-in equipment used by device manufacturers to ensure quality and reliability of integrated circuits. Its products are designed for wafer-level reliability assessment, functional test and stress screening of memory devices, system-on-chips, optical components and power semiconductors. By focusing on wafer-level burn-in and testing processes, the company helps reduce cost and improve yield for high-volume semiconductor production.

The company's product portfolio includes FOX series wafer probe test and burn-in systems as well as ABTS burn-in ovens.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AEHR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Free Report).

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.