Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) EVP Chan Pin Chong Sells 9,730 Shares

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total value of $448,261.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 81,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,773,870.12. This trade represents a 10.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $49.17 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.98 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $45.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.39. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.20 and a 1 year high of $56.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $181.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. Research analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 13th that allows the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to buy up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th will be paid a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio is -65.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.3% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 19,735 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $891,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,384 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $560,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management increased its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 6,054 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on KLIC shares. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. 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, November 15th. Craig Hallum reduced their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen boosted 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, StockNews.com downgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.40.

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.