Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Cuts Stock Position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 1.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,612,276 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 44,843 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 4.71% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $128,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 205,299 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $10,329,000 after acquiring an additional 15,350 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 620,124 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $33,933,000 after purchasing an additional 132,553 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 813.0% in the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 95,606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,810,000 after purchasing an additional 85,134 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $18,531,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 26.8% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 460,704 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $23,178,000 after acquiring an additional 97,278 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 2.5 %

KLIC stock opened at $41.56 on Monday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.20 and a 52 week high of $56.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -34.92 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.17.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.05. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative net margin of 7.94% and a positive return on equity of 0.61%. The firm had revenue of $181.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.28 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 19th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently -67.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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