Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 17,544 Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 17,544 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $819,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $219,000. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

Shares of KLIC opened at $38.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 317.08 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $36.13 and a 52-week high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 0.48%. On average, research analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 683.33%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLIC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen upped their price target 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, DA Davidson dropped their price target on 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.52, for a total value of $564,082.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,838 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,897.76. This represents a 35.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.