Nelson Munpun Wong Sells 30,000 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Stock

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.56, for a total value of $1,426,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 177,533 shares in the company, valued at $8,443,469.48. This represents a 14.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ:KLIC opened at $49.17 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $45.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.39. The company has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of -39.98 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.20 and a twelve month high of $56.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $181.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $180.03 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s quarterly revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be paid a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -65.04%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, November 13th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to buy up to 11.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Craig Hallum reduced their price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded 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 research note on Friday, November 15th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 226.3% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 783 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 17,075.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the second quarter worth $73,000. 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.