KLCM Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Aehr Test Systems $AEHR

KLCM Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) by 200.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Aehr Test Systems were worth $2,258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ARS Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the second quarter valued at about $300,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Aehr Test Systems by 2.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,288,190 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $68,897,000 after purchasing an additional 65,444 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 64,950 shares during the last quarter. Bosun Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aehr Test Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,920,000. 69.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Aehr Test Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Lake Street Capital began coverage on Aehr Test Systems in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aehr Test Systems in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, William Blair upgraded Aehr Test Systems from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aehr Test Systems currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Aehr Test Systems Stock Performance

Shares of AEHR stock opened at $42.45 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -141.50 and a beta of 2.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.04. Aehr Test Systems has a one year low of $6.27 and a one year high of $46.95.

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

Aehr Test Systems Profile

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.