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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 20,838 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,897.76. The trade was a 35.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 0.3 %

KLIC opened at $49.43 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $46.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.52. The company has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.19 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.20 and a 52 week high of $56.71.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative net margin of 9.77% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The firm had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $180.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. This is an increase from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -66.67%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 13th that allows the company to repurchase $300.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLIC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. 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 report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.40.

Institutional Trading of Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 85.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 96,604 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,361,000 after purchasing an additional 44,429 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 88,712 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,977,000 after buying an additional 19,279 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 48,328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,181,000 after buying an additional 11,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 140,269 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,330,000 after acquiring an additional 52,419 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

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.