Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Stock Position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 36.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,659 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 10,326 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.07% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $1,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KLIC. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% in 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 period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $53.00 price target 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 issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $29.10. The stock had a trading volume of 864,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 544,504. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 242.50 and a beta of 1.50. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.63 and a 1 year high of $53.71. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.62.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 0.48% and a negative return on equity of 1.26%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 683.33%.

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.