Bank of America Corp DE Lowers Holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Bank of America Corp DE lessened its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 40.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,887 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 41,681 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.12% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $2,888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLIC. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 68.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,762,112 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $82,220,000 after purchasing an additional 717,832 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 354.3% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 212,119 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $9,897,000 after purchasing an additional 165,431 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $6,875,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 431,945 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $20,155,000 after buying an additional 145,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $5,492,000. 98.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

KLIC stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $33.41. 316,157 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 567,071. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $31.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.66. The company has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 278.42 and a beta of 1.53. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.63 and a 52-week high of $53.71.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.52) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.71). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 0.48%. The business had revenue of $161.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $165.10 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.95) earnings per share. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 227.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $53.00 to $37.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $50.00 to $36.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kulicke and Soffa Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.50.

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.