Tuesday was a better day for the stock market than investors have seen recently. After some sizable declines, most major market benchmarks were higher on the day. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +0.35%) picked up 194 points, or 1.3%, to 15,176 as of noon ET.
Most investors pay almost all their attention to the well-known names with which they're already quite familiar. Many of these stocks have delivered strong returns in the past, and they can have good potential to keep producing share-price growth into the future. However, it can also pay to look outside your comfort zone and consider new companies you've never heard of before. Today, Braze (BRZE 8.27%) and Aehr Test Systems (AEHR +1.98%) are posting big gains, and below, you'll learn more about these companies and why they're popping upward on Tuesday.
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A Braze-n performance
Shares of Braze climbed more than 16% at midday on Tuesday. The customer engagement platform provider saw substantial growth in its third-quarter financial results and was optimistic about its near-term future.
Braze saw revenue grow 63% year over year to $64 million during the third quarter, with a 61% jump in subscription-based sales. Braze had more than $300 million in remaining performance obligations as of the end of the quarter, or well over a year's worth of revenue, and the company signed more than 400 new customers over the past 12 months to bring its total count to just shy of 1,250. Nearly 100 customers generated $500,000 or more of annual recurring revenue.
Moreover, Braze customers tend to stick with the company, as its dollar-based net retention rate rose to 126%. An even higher 136% retention rate applied to $500,000-plus customers.
Braze expects its full-year revenue to come in around $233 million, and while the company is still losing money, co-founder/CEO Bill Magnuson sees a large addressable market opportunity to tap in creating experiences that help Braze's client businesses build stronger relationships with their best customers.
A big deal for Aehr
Shares of Aehr Test Systems were also up around 14% early Tuesday afternoon. The maker of semiconductor testing and reliability equipment got a big order that showed how instrumental its efforts could be in an industry facing huge demand and some supply chain constraints.
Aehr announced an order for four of its FOX-NP photonics-based devices for use in characterizing semiconductor chips and ensuring their utility for end users. Aehr said that the order came from a "current silicon photonics customer" and expects the systems to ship within the next six to seven months.
Investors are optimistic about the trends supporting Aehr's business. Aehr cited research suggesting a nearly 50% average annual growth rate over the next five years, with silicon photonic products making their way into more of the consumer, commercial, and industrial electronics available in the marketplace.
With Aehr having installed more than 2,500 systems across the globe, the sale of four devices might not seem like that big of a deal. However, given how desperately chipmakers are to produce high-quality semiconductors and how important it is that those chips are able to function properly and efficiently, it's highly possible that Aehr will see continued growth well into 2022 and beyond.
