Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $52.00.

Several research analysts have commented on KLIC shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson decreased 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 report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 1.6 %

KLIC opened at $35.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 296.75 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a fifty-two week low of $35.04 and a fifty-two week high of $53.71. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $42.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.55.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 683.33%.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 14.3% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,249 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $327,000 after buying an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 156.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 35,958 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 21,946 shares in the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $370,000. Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.6% during the third quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 246,405 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $11,120,000 after buying an additional 45,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 14.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 24,081 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,087,000 after buying an additional 2,968 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by 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.