The takeaway
Cohu Inc shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in October (+5.7%) and softest in February (−1.6%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 50% of years, averaging +3.4%, about +1.2 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Cohu Inc's most dependable month has been October, higher in 7 of 10 years; February has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in December (+5.4 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−6.9 pts).
“vs S&P” is Cohu Inc’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Cohu Inc’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, October has closed higher 80% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is weakening.
Figures are the typical (median) October return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Strip the year back and a single month does the heavy lifting: October, up in 7 of 10 Octobers while the other eleven tend to blur together.
A typical October brings +3.6%, a shade under the +5.7% average. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even October ranges by 14.0% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: October has cleared the S&P 500 by +4.7 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages October only about 53% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: May, June, and November have also closed higher more often than not. The weaker half of the year is plainer: February has been the soft spot — the weakest of 4 months that average a loss (−1.6%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in March, August, and February. Its roughest month on record was a −40.5% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
The pattern has softened of late, October's last five years slipping below its longer-run record.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: October aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (October), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (October, +5.7%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −1.6%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
October has been the strongest, averaging +5.7% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.6% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade