Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 918 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 397.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,149 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $53,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% during the third 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 93.2% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000. 98.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

KLIC opened at $36.19 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.60. The firm has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 301.58 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.95 and a twelve month high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to purchase up to 11.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 683.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target 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. DA Davidson cut 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 report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

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.