Bard Associates Inc. Acquires Shares of 156,900 Aehr Test Systems $AEHR

Key Points

• Bard Associates acquired 156,900 shares of Aehr Test Systems in the second quarter, worth approximately $15.1 million and representing about 0.48% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 69.69% of AEHR.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: AEHR has an overall “Buy” consensus rating and a $136.67 average price target, with Jefferies initiating coverage at “Buy” and a $175 target.
• AEHR shares opened at $101.73, after trading between $17.33 and $147.40 over the past year. Meanwhile, company insiders sold 109,475 shares worth roughly $13.8 million during the last 90 days.

Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 156,900 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $15,072,000. Aehr Test Systems makes up approximately 3.3% of Bard Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Bard Associates Inc. owned about 0.48% of Aehr Test Systems at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEHR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Aehr Test Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at $255,476,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 129.9% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 830,664 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $16,771,000 after purchasing an additional 469,400 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Aehr Test Systems by 1,137.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 366,570 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $11,037,000 after purchasing an additional 336,940 shares in the last quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC raised its stake in Aehr Test Systems by 99.9% in the fourth quarter. Next Century Growth Investors LLC now owns 552,506 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $11,155,000 after purchasing an additional 276,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. lifted its position in Aehr Test Systems by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. now owns 642,129 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $12,965,000 after purchasing an additional 189,117 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AEHR shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Aehr Test Systems in a report on Thursday, August 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aehr Test Systems from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Craig Hallum reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Aehr Test Systems from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $136.67.

Aehr Test Systems Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEHR opened at $101.73 on Friday. Aehr Test Systems has a 1 year low of $17.33 and a 1 year high of $147.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $94.63 and a 200 day moving average of $74.59. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -423.86 and a beta of 3.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gayn Erickson sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.84, for a total value of $5,233,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 157,723 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,636,477.32. This represents a 20.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 8,413 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,093,690.00. Following the sale, the director owned 387,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,435,060. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 109,475 shares of company stock worth $13,827,160 over the last 90 days. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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