Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Shares Purchased by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 20.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,111,312 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 187,673 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 2.04% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $50,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KLIC. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 127.2% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 25,864 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 14,480 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.0% during the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,469,516 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $66,319,000 after buying an additional 264,638 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% in the third 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. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 12.2% in 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 buying an additional 73,243 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 156.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 35,958 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 21,946 shares during the period. 98.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:KLIC traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $46.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,366,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 500,819. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.20 and a 52-week high of $56.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.40 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $44.12 and a 200-day moving average of $45.37.

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -65.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLIC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson reduced 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 report on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their price target 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. 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. Finally, Craig Hallum lowered their target price on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.