Norges Bank Invests $6.88 Million in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 147,345 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $6,875,000. Norges Bank owned 0.27% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in 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 worth $48,000 after buying an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 397.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. 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. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

NASDAQ KLIC traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $30.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 24,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 538,885. The stock has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 250.29 and a beta of 1.50. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.63 and a 52 week high of $53.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.12.

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 683.33%.

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.