Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Shares Sold by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC lessened its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,284 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 606 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 37.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,075,790 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $52,918,000 after acquiring an additional 291,787 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.0% during the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,469,516 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $66,319,000 after purchasing an additional 264,638 shares during the period. DDD Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,163,000. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 57.5% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 443,002 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $21,791,000 after buying an additional 161,791 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.5% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 355,675 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $17,496,000 after buying an additional 135,444 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. 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 report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson reduced 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. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.40.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

NASDAQ KLIC opened at $46.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.55 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.20 and a 1-year high of $56.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $44.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.36.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $180.03 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s quarterly revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared 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 buy up to 11.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is presently -65.04%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Company Profile

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.