Herald Investment Management Ltd Purchases 70,000 Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Herald Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC - Free Report) by 39.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 248,100 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 70,000 shares during the period. Kulicke and Soffa Industries comprises about 1.9% of Herald Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Herald Investment Management Ltd owned 0.46% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $11,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the fourth quarter worth $6,875,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 50.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 431,945 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $20,155,000 after purchasing an additional 145,066 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,492,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 355,537 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $16,589,000 after buying an additional 93,200 shares during the period. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 530,827 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $24,768,000 after buying an additional 74,920 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.05. 235,165 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 544,112. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $34.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.39. The firm has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 258.75 and a beta of 1.50. 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, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a negative return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 0.48%. Research analysts forecast that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.205 dividend. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 683.33%.

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.