Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 607,989 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 29,366 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.13% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $28,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,502,640 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $70,113,000 after buying an additional 33,124 shares during the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 530,827 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $24,768,000 after purchasing an additional 74,920 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 398,225 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $17,972,000 after purchasing an additional 38,655 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 262,799 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,262,000 after purchasing an additional 4,613 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 212,834 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,931,000 after purchasing an additional 36,290 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Up 0.3 %

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $36.85 on Tuesday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.04 and a 52 week high of $53.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 307.08 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is 683.33%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries 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.