On Monday, Cohu Inc. (NASDAQ:$COHU) saw its stock rating from ValuEngine drop from a ‘Strong-Buy’ to a ‘Buy’.

Cohu Inc. specializes in creating micro-electro-mechanical system test modules, test contactors, inspection handlers, and thermal subsystems used in the manufacturing of semiconductors.

Multiple other firms have also recently weighed in on Cohu;

• Zacks Investment Research: On July 14th, Zacks increased their rating from ‘Hold’ to ‘Strong-Buy’ and set a price target of $20.00.

• Stifel Nicolaus: On July 19th, this firm restated a ‘Hold’ rating and increased their price target from $17.00 to $19.00.
• BidaskClub: Also on July 19th, this firm gave the stock a rating of ‘Hold’.

• Dougherty & Co: On July 28th, this firm gave the stock a ‘Buy’ rating and upped their target price from $23.50 to $24.00.
• Needham & Company LLC: On September 1st, Needham restated a ‘Hold’ rating.

In total, five firms have given the company a ‘Buy’ rating and three have given the stock a ‘Hold’ rating.

Performance & Earnings

On Monday, Cohu reached $23.87, trading down 1.65%, with a trading volume of 126,669 shares. They have a market cap of $667.38 million. They have a 50-day moving average of $19.84 and a 200 day moving average of $18.56. They also have a 52 week low of $10.72 and a 52 week high of $24.72.

On Thursday, July 27th, Cohu last posted its latest earnings. They beat the consensus estimate of $0.39 with a reported EPS of $0.42. During the same quarter last year, the firm reported an EPS of $0.23. Analysts forecast an $1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also beat a revenue consensus of $92.91 million with a reported revenue of $93.90 million for the quarter. On a year-over-year basis, the company’s revenue is 22.9% up. They also have a Return on Equity of 11.59% and a Net Margin of 6.21%.

On Friday, October 20th, shareholders will receive a quarterly dividend. Only shareholders on record as of Friday, August 25th will be eligible. The dividend will pay out at a rate of $0.06 per share. This would indicate a dividend yield of 0.99% and an annualized dividend of $0.24. Wednesday, August 23rd, is the ex-dividend date. Cohu currently holds a 34.78% payout ratio.

Institutional Trading

Multiple institutions have recently altered their stakes in the company:

• State Street Corp (NYSE:$STT) gained an additional 21,666 shares in the second quarter, increasing their shares by 3.4%. They now own 662.390 shares worth $10,426,000.
• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought 4,243 shares in the second quarter, increasing their holdings by 34.9%. They now own 16,410 shares of the company worth $258,000.
• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought 207 additional shares during the second quarter, increasing its shares by exactly 1.0%. They now own 21,696 shares worth approximately $342,000.
• Public Employees Retirement of Ohio bought a new stake in the company in the second quarter valued at $383,000.
• Delphi Management Inc. MA purchased a new position in the second quarter worth $713,000.

Institutional ownership currently accounts for 83.86% of the stock’s ownership.

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