ACM Research Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:ACMR)

Key Points

• ACM Research saw unusually high options activity: Investors purchased 33,598 call options, about 394% above the typical daily volume.
• Analysts remain bullish, with an average “Buy” rating and a $122.75 price target, while recent targets range from $100 to $136.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, with 36% year-over-year revenue growth and earnings of $0.61 per share, exceeding estimates of $0.42; however, insiders recently sold shares worth about $5.6 million combined.

ACM Research, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACMR - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 33,598 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 394% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,798 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Haiping Dun sold 5,000 shares of ACM Research stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.13, for a total value of $405,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $405,650. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider David H. Wang sold 70,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.59, for a total value of $5,221,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 802,708 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,873,989.72. The trade was a 8.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 24.36% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ACM Research

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ACM Research in the second quarter worth about $332,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in ACM Research during the second quarter valued at approximately $346,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in ACM Research in the second quarter valued at approximately $173,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in ACM Research in the second quarter valued at approximately $622,000. Finally, Odyssean LLC boosted its position in ACM Research by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Odyssean LLC now owns 19,180 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,434,000 after purchasing an additional 4,043 shares in the last quarter. 66.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ACMR. Daiwa Securities Group began coverage on shares of ACM Research in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $136.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital set a $125.00 price target on ACM Research and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Craig Hallum restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of ACM Research in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $90.00) on shares of ACM Research in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of ACM Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ACM Research has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $122.75.

ACM Research Stock Performance

NASDAQ ACMR traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $77.38. The stock had a trading volume of 326,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,385,840. ACM Research has a 52-week low of $28.46 and a 52-week high of $127.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.29 and a 200 day moving average of $72.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.66 and a current ratio of 3.66. The stock has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85 and a beta of 1.96.

ACM Research (NASDAQ:ACMR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $292.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $269.28 million. ACM Research had a net margin of 14.48% and a return on equity of 4.08%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that ACM Research will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

About ACM Research

ACM Research, Inc develops, manufactures and sells equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging. Its products are designed for wafer processing steps that help semiconductor manufacturers clean, prepare and deposit materials on silicon wafers and other substrates.

The company's product portfolio includes single-wafer cleaning systems, wet-processing equipment, electrochemical deposition systems, furnace systems and equipment for advanced packaging applications. Its cleaning technologies include the Space Alternated Phase Shift (SAPS) and Tahoe platforms, which are intended to remove contaminants and residues while supporting the production of increasingly complex semiconductor devices.

Founded in 1998, ACM Research is headquartered in Fremont, California, and serves semiconductor manufacturers and other customers through operations and facilities in the United States, China and other international markets.

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