13,477 Shares in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Purchased by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,477 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $608,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KLIC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% in the third 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 period. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 543 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 1,366 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the second quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 101.8% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded up $1.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $48.42. 271,414 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 664,080. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $45.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.39. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.20 and a 12-month high of $56.71.

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 13th that allows the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently -65.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $8,443,469.48. The trade was a 14.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Lester A. Wong sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.37, for a total value of $2,782,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 79,636 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,692,721.32. This trade represents a 42.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 99,730 shares of company stock valued at $4,657,261. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on KLIC. StockNews.com lowered Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen upped 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 decreased their price target 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. Needham & Company LLC raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their target price on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $52.40.

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.