Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) Shares Gap Down on Insider Selling

Shares of Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $45.32, but opened at $43.47. Super Micro Computer shares last traded at $43.11, with a volume of 11,823,078 shares trading hands.

Specifically, Director Liang Chiu-Chu Sara Liu sold 300,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $13,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 66,903,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,010,663,800. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Charles Liang sold 300,000 shares of Super Micro Computer stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $13,500,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 66,903,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,010,663,800. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on SMCI shares. Rosenblatt Securities lowered their price objective on Super Micro Computer from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Super Micro Computer from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $40.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $39.00 price objective on shares of Super Micro Computer in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Super Micro Computer to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and set a $30.00 price objective (down from $40.00) on shares of Super Micro Computer in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.63.

Super Micro Computer Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 3.95 and a current ratio of 6.66. The stock has a market cap of $25.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.40. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $38.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.39.

Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.40 billion. Super Micro Computer had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 20.41%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Super Micro Computer, Inc. will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Super Micro Computer

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Super Micro Computer in the first quarter worth $29,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Super Micro Computer by 2,890.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 987 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Super Micro Computer by 902.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 992 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Super Micro Computer by 233.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Super Micro Computer during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 84.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Super Micro Computer

Super Micro Computer, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures high performance server and storage solutions based on modular and open architecture in the United States, Europe, Asia, and internationally. Its solutions range from complete server, storage systems, modular blade servers, blades, workstations, full racks, networking devices, server sub-systems, server management software, and security software.

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