Aehr Test Systems $AEHR Stock Holdings Cut by Royce & Associates LP

Key Points

• Royce & Associates cut its stake in Aehr Test Systems by 50.3% in Q3 to 55,425 shares (about $1.67M), even as William Blair opened a new ~$26.9M position and Vanguard increased its holding to ~2.29M shares; institutional ownership is 69.69%.
• Insider selling occurred recently: Director Laura Oliphant sold 4,546 shares at $31.40 and Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 13,998 shares at $30.02, leaving insiders with 6.80% ownership.
• Recent results and outlook — AEHR beat EPS estimates for the quarter (‑$0.04 vs. ‑$0.08) but missed revenue, has a $1.24B market cap, and carries a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $21.00.

Royce & Associates LP cut its position in shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Free Report) by 50.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 55,425 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 56,123 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned 0.18% of Aehr Test Systems worth $1,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Aehr Test Systems during the third quarter valued at about $26,920,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aehr Test Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,751,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,288,190 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $68,897,000 after purchasing an additional 65,444 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 485.1% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 78,340 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,359,000 after purchasing an additional 64,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 262.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 50,207 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 36,364 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Laura Oliphant sold 4,546 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.40, for a total value of $142,744.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,432 shares in the company, valued at $578,764.80. This represents a 19.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 13,998 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.02, for a total transaction of $420,219.96. Following the sale, the director owned 456,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,718,509.58. This represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 6.80% of the company's stock.

Aehr Test Systems Stock Down 5.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AEHR opened at $40.49 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $28.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.36. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of -134.96 and a beta of 2.22. Aehr Test Systems has a 12-month low of $6.27 and a 12-month high of $46.95.

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.04. The business had revenue of $9.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.45 million. Aehr Test Systems had a negative return on equity of 4.57% and a negative net margin of 16.63%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aehr Test Systems will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a report on Friday, January 9th. William Blair raised Aehr Test Systems from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research raised Aehr Test Systems from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.00.

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.

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