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

Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $15.39 and last traded at $15.41, with a volume of 137032 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COHU. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Cohu from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. B. Riley reduced their target price on Cohu from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.57.

Cohu Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 6.38, a quick ratio of 4.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $705.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.07 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $19.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.83.

Cohu (NASDAQ:COHU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.25) EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cohu, Inc. will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cohu

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Cohu by 1,225.7% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,392 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Cohu by 826.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,483 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,323 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in 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. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Cohu by 75.7% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Cohu by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,842 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.67% of the company’s stock.

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.