Stifel Financial Corp Purchases 11,836 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 32.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 48,328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 11,836 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $2,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KLIC. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 37.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,075,790 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $52,918,000 after buying an additional 291,787 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.0% in the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,469,516 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $66,319,000 after purchasing an additional 264,638 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 20.3% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,111,312 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $50,154,000 after purchasing an additional 187,673 shares in the last quarter. DDD Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,163,000. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 57.5% in the 2nd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 443,002 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $21,791,000 after purchasing an additional 161,791 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $47.07 on Friday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $38.20 and a one year high of $56.71. The business’s fifty day moving average is $47.21 and its 200 day moving average is $45.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of -38.27 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $181.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. 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. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently -66.67%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KLIC. StockNews.com lowered Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. DA Davidson lowered their price target 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. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.40.

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other news, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.52, for a total value of $564,082.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 20,838 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,897.76. This represents a 35.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total transaction of $1,426,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 177,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,443,469.48. This trade represents a 14.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 221,121 shares of company stock worth $10,527,843 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.