KBC Group NV Increases Stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

KBC Group NV raised its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 93.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 418.5% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 69,211 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,404,000 after buying an additional 55,862 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the second quarter valued at about $279,000. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 3.4% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 56.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,741 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,216 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 3,897 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLIC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson reduced their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.00.

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other news, Director Chin Hu Lim sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.11, for a total transaction of $1,443,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 59,701 shares in the company, valued at $2,872,215.11. This trade represents a 33.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total transaction of $448,261.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 81,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,773,870.12. The trade was a 10.62 % 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 in the last ninety days. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of KLIC stock opened at $42.59 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $47.11 and its 200 day moving average is $45.19. The stock has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.63 and a beta of 1.36. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.20 and a twelve month high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 0.92% and a negative net margin of 9.77%. Equities research analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were issued a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -66.67%.

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