Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $29.53 and last traded at $29.55, with a volume of 927727 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KLIC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective on shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Trading Down 12.8 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 246.25 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $39.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.89.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 0.48% and a negative return on equity of 1.26%. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.205 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 683.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kulicke and Soffa Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,278,512 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $152,975,000 after buying an additional 50,430 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,762,112 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $82,220,000 after purchasing an additional 717,832 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,502,640 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $70,113,000 after buying an additional 33,124 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,165,428 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $54,379,000 after purchasing an additional 54,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 734,140 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $34,255,000 after acquiring an additional 77,479 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

About Kulicke and Soffa Industries

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.