Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries to “strong buy” from “hold.” The broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with a $69.67 average price target.
• The semiconductor equipment maker exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.20 EPS versus $1.06 expected and $330.41 million in revenue versus $308.50 million forecast; revenue rose 122.6% year over year.
• KLIC opened at $95.15 and has a market capitalization of about $4.98 billion. Insiders have sold 96,551 shares worth roughly $11.18 million over the past 90 days, while institutions and hedge funds own 98.22% of the stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a report on Friday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.67.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Price Performance

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $95.15 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $107.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.85 and a beta of 1.67. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has a fifty-two week low of $35.02 and a fifty-two week high of $135.80.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The semiconductor company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $330.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.50 million. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 12.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The firm's revenue was up 122.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.07 EPS. Kulicke and Soffa Industries has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.278-1.562 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries will post 3.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kulicke and Soffa Industries

In other Kulicke and Soffa Industries news, CEO Lester A. Wong sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.71, for a total transaction of $7,302,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 50,743 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,175,930.53. This represents a 54.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mui Sung Yeo sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction 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 represents a 25.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 96,551 shares of company stock valued at $11,179,010 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,525,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $3,245,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,513,023 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $160,053,000 after purchasing an additional 20,535 shares during the last quarter. Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P bought a new position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries during the fourth quarter worth $911,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $535,000. 98.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kulicke and Soffa Industries

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source