Meritage Portfolio Management Has $1.16 Million Stock Holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC)

Meritage Portfolio Management lifted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,275 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Kulicke and Soffa Industries were worth $1,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.8% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 309,681 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $15,060,000 after purchasing an additional 57,418 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 23.7% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 250,207 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,168,000 after buying an additional 47,903 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries in the third quarter worth about $1,259,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 22.1% in the third quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 613,657 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,842,000 after buying an additional 111,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 26.8% in the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 153,064 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $7,444,000 after purchasing an additional 32,383 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, TheStreet cut shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock traded up $0.88 on Friday, hitting $47.04. The stock had a trading volume of 203,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 467,922. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $40.20 and a one year high of $60.20. The stock has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.29 and a beta of 1.47. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.22.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The semiconductor company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.04. Kulicke and Soffa Industries had a net margin of 7.03% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $171.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 1.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 22nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is presently 88.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robert Nestor Chylak sold 8,771 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.97, for a total transaction of $429,515.87. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 24,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,187,032.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.03% 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.