Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Shares Purchased by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 20.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 212,834 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 36,290 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned 0.40% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $9,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 5.7% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 122,036 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,003,000 after purchasing an additional 6,552 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $905,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position 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 buying an additional 291,787 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 418.5% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 69,211 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,404,000 after acquiring an additional 55,862 shares during the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KLIC opened at $47.33 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $47.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.66. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.20 and a 1 year high of $56.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.03 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative net margin of 9.77% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were issued a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. This is a positive change from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is presently -66.67%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 11.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on KLIC shares. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, 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 for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.40.

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total transaction of $448,261.10. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.52, for a total transaction of $564,082.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,838 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,897.76. This represents a 35.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 221,121 shares of company stock worth $10,527,843 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.