Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) Stake Raised by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KLIC) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 708,441 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,010 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 1.32% of Kulicke and Soffa Industries worth $33,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.3% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 19,735 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $891,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 50,007 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,333,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kulicke and Soffa Industries by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 36,329 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,695,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.22% of the company’s stock.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Stock Performance

Kulicke and Soffa Industries stock opened at $36.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 303.08 and a beta of 1.38. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.04 and a 1 year high of $53.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $41.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.31.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ:KLIC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The semiconductor company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Kulicke and Soffa Industries’s payout ratio is 683.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.