Merit Financial Group LLC Takes $1.31 Million Position in Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER)

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Teradyne, Inc. (NASDAQ:TER - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 15,885 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,312,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Teradyne during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Teradyne in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. AllSquare Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Teradyne by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. AllSquare Wealth Management LLC now owns 300 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Teradyne by 264.0% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 313 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Teradyne during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 99.77% of the company's stock.

Teradyne Stock Performance

NASDAQ TER traded up $1.90 on Tuesday, hitting $88.70. 3,157,481 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,624,045. Teradyne, Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.77 and a 52-week high of $163.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $77.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.33.

Teradyne (NASDAQ:TER - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.14. Teradyne had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 19.08%. The company had revenue of $685.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $680.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Teradyne, Inc. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Teradyne announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, April 28th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Teradyne Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Teradyne's payout ratio is currently 13.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on TER. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of Teradyne from $150.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Teradyne from $81.00 to $69.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Teradyne from $120.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Teradyne from $130.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Teradyne from $135.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Teradyne currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.67.

Teradyne Company Profile

Teradyne, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells automated test systems and robotics products worldwide. It operates through four segments; Semiconductor Test, System Test, Robotics, and Wireless Test. The Semiconductor Test segment offers products and services for wafer level and device package testing of semiconductor devices in automotive, industrial, communications, consumer, smartphones, cloud, computer and electronic game, and other applications.