Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Shares Sold by Strengthening Families & Communities LLC

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lowered its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 15.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,234 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 224 shares during the quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $56,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 9.4% during the third quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 6,054 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 10.6% in the second quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,212 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Up 0.3 %

KLIC opened at $46.33 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $44.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.36. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.20 and a fifty-two week high of $56.71. The firm has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.67 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $181.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.03 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 0.92% and a negative net margin of 9.77%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 13th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently -65.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KLIC. StockNews.com lowered Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Craig Hallum cut their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.40.

About Kulicke and Soffa Industries

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.