Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $34.31 and last traded at $34.50, with a volume of 618863 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 4.2 %

The business’s 50 day moving average is $40.04 and its 200 day moving average is $43.99. The company has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 275.50 and a beta of 1.38.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

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 $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is currently 683.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 137.5% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 715 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 61.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 397.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

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.