Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) SVP Sells $1,426,800.00 in Stock

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total transaction of $1,426,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 177,533 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,443,469.48. The trade was a 14.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

KLIC stock traded up $0.71 during trading on Friday, hitting $49.17. The stock had a trading volume of 442,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 502,969. The company's 50 day moving average price is $44.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.20 and a 1-year high of $56.71. The stock has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.98 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently -65.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 2nd quarter worth about $73,000. 98.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KLIC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Craig Hallum lowered their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. 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 lowered shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen increased 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 note on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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