Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) shares gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $41.64, but opened at $44.04. Aehr Test Systems shares last traded at $43.78, with a volume of 683,550 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Craig Hallum restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on Aehr Test Systems in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. William Blair raised Aehr Test Systems from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research raised Aehr Test Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aehr Test Systems currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

Aehr Test Systems Trading Up 11.6%

The business has a 50-day moving average of $28.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.14. The firm has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -154.89 and a beta of 2.22.

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 8th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.04. Aehr Test Systems had a negative return on equity of 4.57% and a negative net margin of 16.63%.The firm had revenue of $9.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.45 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aehr Test Systems will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aehr Test Systems

In related news, Director Rhea J. Posedel sold 13,998 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.02, for a total value of $420,219.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 456,979 shares in the company, valued at $13,718,509.58. This represents a 2.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Laura Oliphant sold 4,546 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.40, for a total value of $142,744.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,432 shares in the company, valued at $578,764.80. This trade represents a 19.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ARS Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Aehr Test Systems in the second quarter valued at approximately $300,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems by 485.1% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 78,340 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,359,000 after acquiring an additional 64,950 shares in the last quarter. Bosun Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aehr Test Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at $272,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aehr Test Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,920,000. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Aehr Test Systems during the second quarter worth $5,751,000. Institutional investors own 69.69% of the company’s stock.

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.