Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Shares Purchased by Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 37.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 150,533 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,990 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.28% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $6,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,384 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 6,054 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Donald L. Hagan LLC raised its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the period. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total transaction of $448,261.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 81,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,773,870.12. The trade was a 10.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total transaction of $1,426,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 177,533 shares in the company, valued at $8,443,469.48. This represents a 14.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 99,730 shares of company stock valued at $4,657,261 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Craig Hallum lowered their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com lowered Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. DA Davidson decreased 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 note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $52.40.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

KLIC stock traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.42. The company had a trading volume of 271,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 664,080. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.20 and a fifty-two week high of $56.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.39.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative net margin of 9.77% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The firm had revenue of $181.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.03 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, November 13th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to buy up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be paid a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -65.04%.

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.