Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. Sells 627,498 Shares of Aehr Test Systems $AEHR

Key Points

• Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. cut its Aehr Test Systems stake by 97.7% in the first quarter, selling 627,498 shares and leaving it with 14,631 shares valued at about $543,000.
• Aehr Test Systems reported quarterly earnings of -$0.05 per share, beating Wall Street expectations, though revenue of $10.31 million came in below estimates.
• Insider selling has also been notable, with executives and directors selling shares in recent months; overall, analysts currently rate the stock Hold with an average price target of $68.

Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR - Free Report) by 97.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,631 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 627,498 shares during the quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.'s holdings in Aehr Test Systems were worth $543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AEHR. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 35.9% during the 1st quarter. Fortitude Advisory Group L.L.C. now owns 28,682 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,064,000 after purchasing an additional 7,575 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in Aehr Test Systems in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new position in Aehr Test Systems in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Laurel Oak Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aehr Test Systems in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,434,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Aehr Test Systems in the first quarter valued at approximately $422,000. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company's stock.

Aehr Test Systems Stock Performance

AEHR stock opened at $67.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -178.22 and a beta of 3.17. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $96.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.47. Aehr Test Systems has a 52-week low of $12.19 and a 52-week high of $126.62.

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

Insider Transactions at Aehr Test Systems

In other news, VP Alistair N. Sporck sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was 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 owned 5,177 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $484,049.50. This represents a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Howard T. Slayen sold 6,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total value of $714,153.87. Following the transaction, the director owned 169,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,773,623.57. This trade represents a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 375,005 shares of company stock worth $28,656,178. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AEHR. Craig Hallum upgraded shares of Aehr Test Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $68.00 price target for the company 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, June 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Aehr Test Systems from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.

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