Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $52.40.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com cut Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Get Our Latest Report on KLIC

Insider Buying and Selling at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total value of $448,261.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 81,916 shares in the company, valued at $3,773,870.12. The trade was a 10.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Lester A. Wong sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.37, for a total transaction of $2,782,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 79,636 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,692,721.32. This trade represents a 42.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 221,121 shares of company stock worth $10,527,843 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in 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 during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the second quarter worth $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of KLIC stock opened at $48.35 on Friday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a 12-month low of $38.20 and a 12-month high of $56.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.70. The company has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.31 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th will be issued a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -66.67%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, November 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire 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

(Get Free Report

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.

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