Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. Lowers Holdings in Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR)

Key Points

• Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. reduced its position in Aehr Test Systems by 6.5% in the first quarter, holding 424,173 shares valued at $3.09 million.
• Insider activity includes EVP Alberto Salamone selling 4,995 shares, resulting in an 8.16% decrease in his position, while Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 18,000 shares, a 20.19% decrease in theirs.
• Aehr Test Systems was upgraded to a sell rating by Wall Street Zen on May 13, amidst a mixed performance where the firm reported earnings of ($0.01) per share, beating estimates by $0.01.

Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Free Report) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 424,173 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 29,363 shares during the period. Aehr Test Systems comprises 1.6% of Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. owned 1.42% of Aehr Test Systems worth $3,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Aehr Test Systems during the 4th quarter worth $15,307,000. Panoramic Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,786,000. Mirabella Financial Services LLP purchased a new stake in Aehr Test Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $1,548,000. LPL Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $874,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,183,641 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $36,314,000 after buying an additional 44,881 shares during the last quarter. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aehr Test Systems Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AEHR traded up $0.73 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $18.91. The company had a trading volume of 510,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,123,775. Aehr Test Systems has a 1-year low of $6.27 and a 1-year high of $23.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $565.79 million, a P/E ratio of -146.13 and a beta of 2.35. The firm's 50 day moving average is $14.34 and its 200-day moving average is $11.09.

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 8th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $14,100 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.83 million. Aehr Test Systems had a negative net margin of 6.63% and a negative return on equity of 0.15%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aehr Test Systems will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aehr Test Systems to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laura Oliphant sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.50, for a total transaction of $107,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at $164,797.50. This represents a 39.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 18,000 shares of Aehr Test Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.83, for a total transaction of $356,940.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 71,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,411,162.29. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,995 shares of company stock valued at $552,185. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Aehr Test Systems Profile

Aehr Test Systems provides test solutions for testing, burning-in, and semiconductor devices in wafer level, singulated die, and package part form, and installed systems worldwide. Its product portfolio includes FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems that are full wafer contact and singulated die/module test and burn-in systems that can test, burn-in, and stabilize range of devices, including silicon carbide-based and other power semiconductors, 2D and 3D sensors used in mobile phones, tablets and other computing devices, memory semiconductors, processors, microcontrollers, systems-on-a-chip, and photonics and integrated optical devices.