Cwm LLC Acquires 18,366 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. $KLIC

Key Points

• Cwm LLC significantly increased its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1,402.0%, acquiring an additional 18,366 shares in the second quarter, bringing total ownership to 19,676 shares valued at approximately $681,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc. and Victory Capital Management Inc., have also increased their stakes in Kulicke and Soffa, indicating a growing interest from market players in the semiconductor sector.
• Latest analyst reports reflect a mix of ratings, with two firms recommending a Buy and three assigning a Hold, setting a consensus target price of $42.00 for the stock.

Cwm LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 1,402.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,676 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after buying an additional 18,366 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 6.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,476,131 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $114,643,000 after buying an additional 197,619 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 6.1% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,699,897 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $89,043,000 after buying an additional 156,144 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 10.0% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,938,904 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $63,945,000 after purchasing an additional 176,792 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 14.5% in the second quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,645,508 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $56,935,000 after purchasing an additional 207,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 16.0% in the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,351,392 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $44,569,000 after purchasing an additional 185,964 shares in the last quarter. 98.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Nelson Munpun Wong sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.07, for a total transaction of $1,112,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 147,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,469,048.31. This represents a 16.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KLIC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. B. Riley upped their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kulicke and Soffa Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of KLIC stock opened at $40.17 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $39.26 and a 200-day moving average of $35.47. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.63 and a 12-month high of $52.08. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 502.13 and a beta of 1.57.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 0.90% and a negative return on equity of 1.06%. The company had revenue of $148.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $145.48 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect 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, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 18th were given a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 18th. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 1,025.00%.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries 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.

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