Wasatch Advisors LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Wasatch Advisors LP reduced its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 388,443 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 15,228 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP owned approximately 0.69% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $19,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 340.8% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 573 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 224.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 672 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 779 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on KLIC. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. B. Riley decreased their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $54.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, Director Peter T. M. Kong acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $47.51 per share, with a total value of $47,510.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 92,072 shares in the company, valued at $4,374,340.72. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of KLIC stock opened at $49.13 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.02. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.20 and a fifty-two week high of $59.99.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The semiconductor company reported ($0.95) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($1.19). The firm had revenue of $172.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.20 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative net margin of 8.94% and a positive return on equity of 2.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -67.23%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Profile

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and tools used to assemble semiconductor devices. It operates through four segments: Ball Bonding Equipment, Wedge Bonding Equipment, Advanced Solutions, and Aftermarket Products and Services (APS). The company offers ball bonding equipment, wafer level bonding equipment, wedge bonding equipment; and advanced display, die-attach, and thermocompression systems and solutions, as well as tools, spares and services for equipment.