PDF Solutions (NASDAQ:PDFS) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• PDF Solutions shares gapped down from a prior close of $47.77 to open at $43.94, later trading around $45.37.
• Analyst sentiment remained positive overall, with five Buy ratings and two Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $62.80.
• The company met quarterly EPS expectations at $0.27 and slightly exceeded revenue estimates, while institutional investors owned 79.51% of outstanding shares.

Shares of PDF Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDFS - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $47.77, but opened at $43.94. PDF Solutions shares last traded at $45.3660, with a volume of 57,714 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of PDF Solutions from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on PDF Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered PDF Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of PDF Solutions in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of PDF Solutions in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.80.

PDF Solutions Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 179.38 and a beta of 1.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $48.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.54.

PDF Solutions (NASDAQ:PDFS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The technology company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27. The business had revenue of $61.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.17 million. PDF Solutions had a net margin of 4.27% and a return on equity of 7.21%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PDF Solutions, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CTO Andrzej Strojwas sold 3,394 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.41, for a total value of $150,727.54. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 90,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,039,755.65. This represents a 3.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shuo Zhang sold 1,501 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.47, for a total value of $77,256.47. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,380 shares in the company, valued at $1,203,368.60. This trade represents a 6.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 11.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PDF Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of PDF Solutions in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,733,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of PDF Solutions during the second quarter worth $9,382,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of PDF Solutions by 114.2% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 90,393 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,957,000 after purchasing an additional 48,184 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in PDF Solutions by 13.5% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,035,666 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,877,000 after buying an additional 123,531 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PDF Solutions in the first quarter valued at $985,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.51% of the company's stock.

PDF Solutions Company Profile

PDF Solutions, Inc provides software, hardware and services that help semiconductor and electronics manufacturers improve product quality, manufacturing efficiency and yields. Its solutions collect and analyze data across the semiconductor production process, enabling customers to identify defects, monitor process performance and make data-driven decisions from design through manufacturing and test.

The company's offerings include the Exensio platform, a suite of manufacturing analytics and data-management applications.

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