Entropy Technologies LP Buys Shares of 4,689 Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 4,689 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLIC. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter worth $346,000. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 6,812 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,502,640 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $70,113,000 after purchasing an additional 33,124 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,898 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the period. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 212,834 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,931,000 after purchasing an additional 36,290 shares during the period. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLIC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. StockNews.com raised Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

KLIC stock opened at $41.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 342.25 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50-day moving average is $46.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.94. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.20 and a 1 year high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 0.48% and a negative return on equity of 1.26%. On average, analysts expect that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other news, EVP Chan Pin Chong sold 9,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.07, for a total transaction of $448,261.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 81,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,773,870.12. This trade represents a 10.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 11,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 35.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 221,121 shares of company stock valued at $10,527,843. Corporate insiders own 3.40% 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.