Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-08-07 · Permanent

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Cohu, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides semiconductor test equipment and services in the United States, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and internationally.

The label
Markup

read at $52.88

Cohu, Inc. holds its Markup at $52.88.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-08-07
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 21 days
Price$52.88
ValuationN/A trailing · 28.64 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 70.0
Beta1.60

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Read at
$52.88
N/A P/E · 28.64 fwd
Our fair value
$42.80
19% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$70.00
+32% to current
Target low $65.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $80.00
▲ current $52.88 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$84.9$49.6$14.3TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$80.00 +48%Analyst avg$70.00 +29%Conservative$42.80 -21%Our fair value$42.80 -21%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$52.88
you are here
Conservative
$42.80
-19%
Analyst avg
$70.00
+32%
Our fair value
$42.80
-19%
Analyst high
$80.00
+51%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Revenue growth38.40%
Profit margin-7.43%
Debt to equity42.76
Analyst consensusStrong Buy · 8 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company clears both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✓ PASSES
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is just 26.4% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling — it does not run on borrowed money. Pass
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 20.7% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 27.0% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 1.8% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Chip tester faces losses at a premium price

Picture the semiconductor cycle like a tide that lifts every boat one year and strands most of them the next. Cohu supplies the test gear that checks chips before they reach phones and cars, yet the company is losing money with a negative twelve percent profit margin and negative seven percent return on equity. Revenue grew twenty nine percent, but the shares still trade at thirty four point six times forward earnings, well above our fair value of thirty seven dollars forty nine against a current price of fifty one dollars nineteen.

We pass. The ethical screen is clear, yet the valuation leaves no margin of safety and the business sits in a sector where equipment demand can swing sharply with each new chip generation. Analyst targets sit higher, but those forecasts often peak right when orders roll over.

The real risk is the classic cyclical trap. Strong top line growth today can mask how quickly margins compress when foundries cut spending, leaving investors holding expensive shares with no earnings buffer. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E28.6x
cheap for a company growing this fast
Revenue growth38.4%
strong top-line growth
Profit margin-7.4%
currently unprofitable
Return on equity-4.8%
not currently earning a positive return on equity
Debt to equity0.43
minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet
Current ratio5.74
comfortably covers its short-term bills
Beta1.60
much more volatile than the market
Market cap$2.5B
Employees2,777

The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in COHU's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

COHU trades on Nasdaq. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 16.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 88% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 183%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 32%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57. Entered 2026-07-25 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-25 Markup $51.19 -16.5% Entry 4

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 16.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 88% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 183%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 32%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.

2026-07-18 Markup $61.33 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 88% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 183%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 32%. The street (7 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $57.

2026-07-03 Markup $61.33 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $61.33 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $51.28 +5.8% · $1,058 +5.8%
2 months $37.34 +45.2% · $1,452 +45.2%
3 months $27.48 +97.3% · $1,973 +97.3%
6 months $24.91 +117.7% · $2,177 +117.7%
1 year $19.18 +182.7% · $2,827 +182.7%
2 years $30.83 +75.9% · $1,759 +75.9%
3 years $38.33 +41.5% · $1,415 +41.5%
5 years $36.25 +49.6% · $1,496 +49.6%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever COHU does next, these words stay.

Cohu, Inc. · COHU · Markup · $52.88
Recorded 2026-08-07 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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