Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) Trading Up 9.5% – Still a Buy?

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) shares were up 9.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $101.57 and last traded at $103.3090. Approximately 282,392 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 2,349,014 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on AEHR shares. William Blair raised Aehr Test Systems from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Aehr Test Systems from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Aehr Test Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Lake Street Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Craig Hallum raised Aehr Test Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Three investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $68.00.

Aehr Test Systems Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $84.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -248.97 and a beta of 3.17.

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.02. Aehr Test Systems had a negative return on equity of 7.15% and a negative net margin of 25.23%.The firm had revenue of $10.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.85 million. Research analysts predict that Aehr Test Systems will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 17,115 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $1,711,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 45,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,526,100. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Howard T. Slayen sold 6,819 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.73, for a total value of $714,153.87. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 169,709 shares in the company, valued at $17,773,623.57. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 375,005 shares of company stock valued at $28,656,178 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Aehr Test Systems

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 3,448.3% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,029 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the third quarter worth about $42,000. 69.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Aehr Test Systems

Aehr Test Systems develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor test and burn-in equipment used by device manufacturers to ensure quality and reliability of integrated circuits. Its products are designed for wafer-level reliability assessment, functional test and stress screening of memory devices, system-on-chips, optical components and power semiconductors. By focusing on wafer-level burn-in and testing processes, the company helps reduce cost and improve yield for high-volume semiconductor production.

The company’s product portfolio includes FOX series wafer probe test and burn-in systems as well as ABTS burn-in ovens.