Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) SVP Robert Nestor Chylak Sells 11,391 Shares

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.52, for a total value of $564,082.32. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 20,838 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,897.76. The trade was a 35.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLIC opened at $48.84 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $46.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.46. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.20 and a 1-year high of $56.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.71 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 13th that permits the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 11.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -65.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note 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 research report 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 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.40.

Institutional Trading of Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% in 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 grew 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 valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the second quarter worth $73,000. 98.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.