Swiss National Bank Sells 1,100 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $5,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KLIC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 397.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares during the period. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on KLIC. StockNews.com raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $36.51 on Tuesday. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.84 and a 1 year high of $53.71. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 304.25 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.17.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 683.33%.

About Kulicke and Soffa Industries

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.