Artemis Investment Management LLP Purchases 36,290 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 212,834 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 36,290 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned 0.40% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $9,931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,469,516 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $66,319,000 after purchasing an additional 264,638 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,111,312 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $50,154,000 after acquiring an additional 187,673 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 291,787 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 452,945 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $20,441,000 after acquiring an additional 9,943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 398,225 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $17,972,000 after purchasing an additional 38,655 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded up $0.62 on Monday, hitting $47.33. 250,525 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 399,085. The company has a fifty day moving average of $47.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.66. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $38.20 and a one year high of $56.71. The company has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.48 and a beta of 1.37.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business's quarterly revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th were paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. This is an increase 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 1.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is -66.67%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 reacquire up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KLIC has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total value of $448,261.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 81,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,773,870.12. This trade represents a 10.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Lester A. Wong sold 60,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 79,636 shares in the company, valued at $3,692,721.32. This represents a 42.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 221,121 shares of company stock worth $10,527,843. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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.