Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Purchases 19,279 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 88,712 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,279 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $3,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total value of $448,261.10. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Fusen Ernie Chen sold 80,000 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.29, for a total value of $3,863,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,100,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,155,941.85. This trade represents a 6.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 179,730 shares of company stock worth $8,520,461. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Up 4.0 %

KLIC stock traded up $1.91 during trading on Monday, reaching $50.14. The stock had a trading volume of 532,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 503,700. The stock's 50 day moving average is $46.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.46. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.20 and a 52 week high of $56.71. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of -40.76 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 0.92% and a negative net margin of 9.77%. The company had revenue of $181.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.03 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -65.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLIC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen upped their target price 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. 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 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 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.40.

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.