State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Boosts Holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 12.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,216 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,042 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.08% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $2,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 101.8% in the 3rd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of KLIC stock opened at $46.19 on Friday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.20 and a 1-year high of $56.71. The firm has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a PE ratio of -37.55 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $44.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.37.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. 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 presently -65.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on KLIC. TD Cowen increased their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. DA Davidson cut their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. 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 note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, 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 for the company in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.