Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Receives $52.40 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.40.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KLIC shares. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of 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. StockNews.com cut Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded 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 note on Friday, November 15th.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KLIC traded down $0.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,884,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 507,948. The company has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a PE ratio of -38.17 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a fifty-two week low of $38.20 and a fifty-two week high of $56.71. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $47.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.63.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative net margin of 9.77% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The business had revenue of $181.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.03 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's payout ratio is currently -66.67%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, November 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other news, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.52, for a total value of $564,082.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,031,897.76. This represents a 35.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Chin Hu Lim sold 30,000 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.11, for a total transaction of $1,443,300.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 59,701 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,872,215.11. This represents a 33.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 221,121 shares of company stock worth $10,527,843. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KLIC. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.0% in the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,469,516 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $66,319,000 after acquiring an additional 264,638 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 20.3% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,111,312 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $50,154,000 after purchasing an additional 187,673 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 37.2% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,075,790 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $52,918,000 after purchasing an additional 291,787 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 671,675 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $33,040,000 after purchasing an additional 73,243 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 452,945 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $20,441,000 after buying an additional 9,943 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

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.