Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU) shares reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $14.34 and last traded at $15.41, with a volume of 612025 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on COHU. B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Cohu from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Cohu from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Cohu in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Cohu presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.57.

Cohu Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $719.80 million, a P/E ratio of -10.27 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 4.69, a current ratio of 6.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.63.

Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.18). Cohu had a negative return on equity of 3.18% and a negative net margin of 17.38%. Equities analysts expect that Cohu, Inc. will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cohu

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COHU. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cohu in the 3rd quarter valued at about $269,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Cohu by 10.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 624,274 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $16,044,000 after purchasing an additional 59,806 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Cohu during the third quarter valued at approximately $300,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in Cohu by 675.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,611 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 16,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Cohu by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 47,967 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 8,095 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.67% of the company’s stock.

About Cohu

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.