Becker Drapkin Management Increases Its Holding of Cascade Microtech, Inc. (CSCD)

Matthew Drapkin and Steven R. Becker, the managers of Becker Drapkin Management are optimistic about the prospects of Cascade Microtech, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCD). According to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Becker Drapkin Management has increased its holding of the stock by 212,885 shares to a total of 1,179,921 shares, which account for 7.3% of the company’s common stock. Given the current price of $8.99, Becker Drapkin’s stake has a value in excess of $10.6 million.

Jim Simons, the renowned hedge fund guru, is also a fan of Cascade Microtech, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCD). During the fourth quarter of 2013, his fund, Renaissance Technologies, upped its stake in the company by 59% to 529,700 shares, reportedly worth $4.93 million. Israel Englander is also bullish on this stock, with Millennium Management initiating a new position, which contains 41,085 shares as at the end of 2013.

Cascade Microtech, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCD) engages in the production of probing solutions for semiconductor testing processes. It has a market cap of $145 million and does not pay a dividend. The stock is traded at a trailing Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.10, significantly lower than the industry average of 38.60. For the three months ending December 31, 2013, Cascade posted revenues of $34 million and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.56. For the current quarter the company is expected to register revenues of $32.5 million and earnings of $0.13 per share. The stock is touted as a strong buy with a price target of $11 per share.

Drapkin and Becker are particularly bullish on Comverse Inc(NASDAQ:CNSI), a provider of software and system solutions for businesses. During the last quarter of 2013, Becker Drapkin Management increased their stake by a massive 1347% taking their holding to 1.35 million shares valued at $52.3 million. Another important change was the 142% increase in Becker Drapkin’s investment in EMCORE Corporation (NASDAQ:EMKR). The fund currently holds 3.19 million shares valued at $16.3 million.

Disclosure: none

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