Lazard Asset Management LLC Takes Position in PDF Solutions, Inc. $PDFS

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management acquired 36,349 shares of PDF Solutions in the first quarter, worth approximately $1.19 million, giving it a 0.09% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 79.51% of the company.
• PDF Solutions exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.31 in earnings per share versus the $0.23 consensus estimate and revenue of $60.13 million. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $0.67.
• PDFS shares opened at $51.17, while analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $56.33; recent ratings included buy upgrades and a Wells Fargo “equal weight” initiation.

Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PDF Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDFS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 36,349 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.09% of PDF Solutions as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC bought a new position in shares of PDF Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $3,011,000. Legato Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in PDF Solutions by 96.4% in the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 53,530 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,527,000 after buying an additional 26,268 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in PDF Solutions in the 1st quarter worth about $464,000. Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P purchased a new position in PDF Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $556,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in PDF Solutions by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 20,165 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $575,000 after acquiring an additional 4,508 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.51% of the company's stock.

PDF Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PDFS opened at $51.17 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 2.34. The company has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 284.29 and a beta of 1.67. The firm's fifty day moving average is $55.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.77. PDF Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.12 and a 52-week high of $71.68.

PDF Solutions (NASDAQ:PDFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.08. PDF Solutions had a return on equity of 6.48% and a net margin of 3.10%.The company had revenue of $60.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.71 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that PDF Solutions, Inc. will post 0.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PDFS has been the topic of a number of research reports. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of PDF Solutions in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen raised PDF Solutions from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on PDF Solutions from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on PDF Solutions in a research note on Tuesday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded PDF Solutions from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.33.

PDF Solutions Company Profile

PDF Solutions, Inc, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a technology company that provides data-driven solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Founded in 1991, the company specializes in software and services designed to improve yield, productivity and profitability for semiconductor fabricators. Over its history, PDF Solutions has positioned itself as a partner to foundries, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), assembly and test operations, offering tailored data analytics and engineering expertise.

The company's flagship offering, the Exensio platform, aggregates and analyzes data from process equipment, metrology and inspection systems to identify yield-limiting defects and process excursions.

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