Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $52.40.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen raised 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 report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total transaction of $1,426,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 177,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,443,469.48. The trade was a 14.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.52, for a total transaction of $564,082.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,031,897.76. This trade represents a 35.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 221,121 shares of company stock valued at $10,527,843 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KLIC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 101.8% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 970 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 Performance

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $47.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.48 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $47.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.65. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a one year low of $38.20 and a one year high of $56.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 0.92% and a negative net margin of 9.77%. The business had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.03 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th were given a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 19th. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -66.67%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, November 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $300.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to buy up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.