Vanguard Group Inc. Has $148.47 Million Stock Position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,713,210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 42,778 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $148,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 443 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 224.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 672 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. B. Riley reduced their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $54.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.50.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

KLIC stock opened at $49.24 on Friday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.20 and a 52 week high of $59.99. The company has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a PE ratio of -41.38 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.02.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The semiconductor company reported ($0.95) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($1.19). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a positive return on equity of 2.22% and a negative net margin of 8.94%. The business had revenue of $172.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.20 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post -0.31 EPS for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 20th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 20th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is -67.23%.

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In related news, Director Peter T. M. Kong purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $47.51 per share, with a total value of $47,510.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 92,072 shares in the company, valued at $4,374,340.72. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.