The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Lowers Position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. $KLIC

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its Kulicke and Soffa stake by 27.3% in the first quarter, selling 585,663 shares. It still held 1.56 million shares, worth approximately $102.5 million, while institutional investors collectively owned 98.22% of the company.
• KLIC’s quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.79 versus the $0.67 consensus and revenue up 49.8% year over year to $242.6 million. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $59.25, despite Needham raising its target to $105.
• The stock opened at $90.93 after declining 7.4%, and insiders sold 98,051 shares worth $11.3 million in the latest quarter. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.205 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 0.9%.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 27.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,559,155 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 585,663 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 2.98% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $102,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 27,815 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 3,232 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter valued at $3,274,000. Castleark Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter valued at $6,991,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter worth $747,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 70.7% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 221,358 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $14,547,000 after buying an additional 91,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KLIC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $70.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $59.25.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Down 7.4%

Shares of KLIC stock opened at $90.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.43 and a beta of 1.62. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.32 and a fifty-two week high of $135.80. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $110.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.56.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.12. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 7.16% and a return on equity of 7.29%. The company had revenue of $242.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $228.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.52) earnings per share. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's revenue for the quarter was up 49.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.000- EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 18th were given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 18th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio is 78.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, Director Mui Sung Yeo sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $2,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 59,197 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,919,700. This trade represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Zi Yao Lim sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.98, for a total value of $154,470.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 21,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,184,617.72. This represents a 6.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 98,051 shares of company stock worth $11,333,480 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Company Profile

Kulicke & Soffa Industries NASDAQ: KLIC is a global supplier of semiconductor and LED assembly equipment. The company specializes in the design, development and manufacture of advanced die bonding, wire bonding, flip-chip bumping and wafer-level packaging systems. Its solutions support a wide range of applications in consumer electronics, automotive, communications and other high-growth segments within the semiconductor and LED industries.

Key products include precision wire bonders for microelectronic packaging, die attach systems for chip placement, flip-chip bonders for advanced packaging architectures and LED packaging platforms that enable high-volume production of automotive and general-illumination LEDs.

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