Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 56.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,741 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KLIC. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,036,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 37.2% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,075,790 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $52,918,000 after purchasing an additional 291,787 shares during the period. DDD Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,163,000. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 57.5% during the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 443,002 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,791,000 after purchasing an additional 161,791 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.5% during the 2nd quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 355,675 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $17,496,000 after purchasing an additional 135,444 shares during the period. 98.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $45.27 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $42.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.74. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.20 and a 1 year high of $56.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.04 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $181.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post -0.45 EPS for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 19th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 19th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is currently -67.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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