Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 85.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 96,604 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,429 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $4,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the second quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 101.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

KLIC opened at $46.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.17 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.20 and a 12 month high of $56.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $47.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.66.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 11.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. This is an increase from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is -66.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, CFO Lester A. Wong sold 60,000 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at $3,692,721.32. The trade was a 42.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were 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 directly owns 81,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,773,870.12. This represents a 10.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 221,121 shares of company stock worth $10,527,843 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KLIC. StockNews.com lowered Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Needham & Company LLC raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen boosted 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, November 15th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased 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 note on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus 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.