JPMorgan Chase & Co. Buys 145,066 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 50.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 431,945 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 145,066 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.81% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $20,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 397.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,898 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLIC traded down $1.09 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $29.38. 97,297 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 539,843. The firm has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 244.38 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.93. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.63 and a 12-month high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 0.48%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 683.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KLIC. StockNews.com raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.00.

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.