Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Stock Position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 5.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 46,043 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 2,834 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $2,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of KLIC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,841,236 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $142,943,000 after purchasing an additional 128,026 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 671,675 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $33,040,000 after acquiring an additional 73,243 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 648,357 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $32,619,000 after acquiring an additional 48,590 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,036,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 26.8% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 460,704 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $23,178,000 after purchasing an additional 97,278 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

KLIC stock opened at $43.87 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $42.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.91. The firm has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -36.87 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.20 and a 1 year high of $56.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $181.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $179.28 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a positive return on equity of 0.61% and a negative net margin of 7.94%. The business’s revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 19th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -67.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $52.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.33.

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.