62,503 Shares in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Bought by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 62,503 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $2,916,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KLIC. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $819,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 28,309 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,321,000 after buying an additional 4,228 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 397.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 8,374 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 2,090 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 15,874 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $741,000 after acquiring an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on KLIC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of KLIC traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $33.87. The company had a trading volume of 618,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 519,340. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.77 and a fifty-two week high of $53.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.89. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 282.25 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.