Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 1,652,457 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 263% from the previous session’s volume of 455,158 shares.The stock last traded at $17.25 and had previously closed at $18.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on COHU. B. Riley decreased their price target on Cohu from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Cohu from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Cohu in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cohu presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.57.

Cohu Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 6.38 and a quick ratio of 4.69. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $803.18 million, a P/E ratio of -11.46 and a beta of 1.50.

Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by ($0.18). Cohu had a negative return on equity of 3.18% and a negative net margin of 17.38%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cohu, Inc. will post -0.36 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Cohu

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Cohu by 1,225.7% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,392 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Cohu by 826.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,483 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cohu by 49.2% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cohu by 413.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,740 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Cohu by 75.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the period. 94.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cohu Company Profile

Cohu, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides semiconductor test equipment and services in China, the United States, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and internationally. The company supplies semiconductor test and inspection handlers, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) test modules, test contactors, thermal sub-systems, and semiconductor automated test equipment for semiconductor manufacturers and test subcontractors.